In a Heartbeat
by TwistedRocketPower
Summary: When Kurt was nine, his mom, an organ donor, died. Now, at seventeen, Kurt is on a search to find who has her heart... but, what he ends up finding is so much more.
1. Seek

_"I'm sorry; there was nothing we could do."_

Kurt sat at his desk, staring at the computer screen. He had just Google searched his mother's name, scrolling down past the articles about her death from many, many years ago.

He had read all of the articles so many times, seeing the photos of the crash in the side columns of said articles, that it didn't even phase him anymore.

He had been surprised the first time he looked her up, not expecting anyone to take those old articles and put them onto the computer but he was glad they were there.

Every time he missed her, in some sort of odd way, reading these articles helped him… but, today, he wasn't wanting to read them again. He was looking for something different.

Unable to find what he was looking for, he went back up to the search bar and added "donor" to her name, then clicked 'enter.'

Links popped up once again, but this time there was a new one. He clicked on it to find it was a paper from a small town in Ohio- _Creation_ was the city's name- that Kurt had never heard of… He decided now wasn't the time to make a snarky comment about the city's name.

The article was about a man, John Davies, who needed a liver transplant. He was about to give up on ever getting one, figuring he was just going to die… there was no other option.

Then, one day, he got a call. He had to get to the hospital immediately.

He didn't even ask questions, he just went. He was quickly taken back and into surgery. Everything happened so fast he wasn't even sure what was fully going on until he woke back up.

Yes, he had been told, in full, what was happening before being put under the anesthesia and was allowed to decline if he wanted _"but, seriously, who would decline to live?"_, John was quoted saying.

Kurt continued reading, seeing where John had desperately wanted to know whose liver he had received. His doctor told him a name, Elizabeth Hummel, but that was it.

The man went on, saying how he wished he could thank Elizabeth's family. He sometimes feels awful that another person had to die so he could live, but he says _"I will be eternally grateful for Elizabeth and her family, for giving me another chance at life."_

Tears were pooled in Kurt's eyes. He finished reading the article and saw a picture of the man with his two grandkids. After staring at it for a couple of minutes, he went back to Google's main page and typed in the man's name along with the city he was from.

The article popped up again… and underneath, his obituary.

Kurt's heart sunk. He clicked on it, hoping it was a different John Davies from Creation, Ohio.

It wasn't.

The same picture of him with his grandkids was on the obituary, and written underneath was a short biography about his life, including the liver transplant. Whoever wrote it, said that they are so happy for the four extra years they were given with John. They would be forever thankful for his organ donor and they know that the two have met in heaven now, because that was John's wish. That he could meet the woman who saved his life.

Kurt finished reading the obituary, a single tear slipping down his face in the process.

While he was upset that John had died, he couldn't help but be happy too. The Davies family seemed like amazing people and he was so proud his mom helped them. A man got to watch his grandkids grow up for four more years because of his mom… That was something to be happy about.

Kurt couldn't believe how well the search had gone so far. He had found one of three people who had received an organ from his mom.

He could mark liver off the list now.

That left the eyes and heart.

He searched his mom's name again, with the word "donor" added on, just like before, but this time he came up empty.

"Kurt, dinner!" His dad called to him.

Kurt sighed. "Coming."

* * *

><p>Two weeks later and nothing. He hadn't found anything else about his mom or who received her organs.<p>

He knew he couldn't do intense research on this… His dad wasn't even really comfortable with him looking this up (which was the reason he hadn't told him about John yet), so he knew his computer was to be his only source of information for the time being.

* * *

><p>Another week later, Kurt couldn't keep it in anymore. After dinner, while Carole and Burt were sitting on the couch watching the news, Kurt sat down in his dad's recliner.<p>

Burt automatically knew something was up. "What's wrong, Kurt?"

Kurt turned his head from the TV and looked at his dad. "Don't get mad."

Burt turned off the TV. "Kurt," He said in a warning tone.

"I- I found the person who got mom's liver… three weeks ago."

He was met with silence. Carole just looked at Burt, waiting for his reply. Kurt was doing the same thing, except his heart was pounding.

"Three weeks ago?" Burt questioned, his voice calm.

Kurt nodded. "I know you didn't really want me looking anything up about it until I turned eighteen, but I couldn't wait. I found an article about him… He- He's dead now, I found his obituary too, but I just… just didn't want to keep it from you."

Burt sighed… a very, very long sigh.

He looked over at Carole, who just nodded, then he got up and headed up the stairs.

"Wh- Where's he going?" Kurt asked, afraid his dad was too upset to stay in the room.

"He'll be back," Carole assured him.

They sat in silence the rest of the time while they waited.

Sure enough, as Carole had said, his dad came back, this time carrying a manila envelope in his hands.

He sat back down on the couch and stared down at the envelope, then handed it to Kurt.

"What is this?" Kurt asked.

"A long time ago, right after your mom died, I wanted to know who was getting her organs. I asked around, trying to find out how I could get the information, and finally someone told me that they could get the information for me.

"They worked on it for a long time, until they found the people. They said they wouldn't force them to contact me, but, if they wanted to, I'd probably get a letter from them soon.

"Almost eight months later, I got a note in the mail. I opened it. It was from the man who received her liver.

"I read it… and it was like it opened all of my still-healing wounds and poured salt into them. I was a mess for a couple of weeks, but I couldn't stop reading it… until I forced myself to. I stuck it in this envelope and left it there.

"Then, three months later, I got another letter. This one had a…" Burt paused, clearing his throat. "It had a heart drawn on the back of the envelope and I… I knew what was inside and- and I couldn't. I couldn't open it. I just stuck it in the envelope with the other letter, sealed the envelope, and never looked at it again."

Kurt looked down at the envelope. Suddenly it felt so heavy. Like it carried a ton of weight with it.

"You- You're letting me have it?"

"I didn't want to give it to you until you were eighteen, but I don't think you're going to let this go until you get more answers, so here they are. You'll be eighteen in eight months anyway; this is close enough."

Kurt took a deep breath.

He got up, envelope in one hand, and hugged his dad. "Thank you," He said to him. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Kurt."

After he finished his hug with his dad, he hugged Carole. He wasn't sure why, but it just felt necessary.

"I'm gonna take this upstairs," Kurt said after his hug with Carole.

He got halfway up the stairs when his dad called out to him.

"Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't let it reopen the wounds," He told him, staring straight into his eyes. "Don't let it pull you back. Okay?"

Kurt nodded slowly. "Okay, dad."

* * *

><p>Once Kurt was back in his room, with his door shut and locked- he just couldn't deal with Finn barging in right now- he set the envelope on the bed and stared at it.<p>

It was almost like it was some live animal, or maybe this big ball of energy that, if he touched it, it would electrocute him.

He paced. Back and forth, back and forth.

He wasn't sure exactly why he felt this way. Three weeks ago, when he had found John, it wasn't like this. Yes, he had sort of been obsessing about finding the other two people since then, but it hadn't reopened the wounds… had it?

It was just something in his dad's eyes when he talked to him. Something in the way he said "don't let it pull you back." He was speaking from experience, that much was certain, but that wouldn't happen with Kurt, would it? It had been nine years since his mom died, that was long enough to not get too emotional over this… right?

Kurt stopped pacing, put his hands on his hips, and glared at the envelope. "Just do it, Kurt! This is what you want."

And with that, he picked up the envelope, opened it, and pulled out the first letter.

It was the one from John.

He opened the envelope it came it, which had already been unsealed by his dad, and read:

_Dear Hummel family,_

_I am so glad to be able to right to you. Firstly, I want to thank you for everything. I know it must be hard to be without Elizabeth but, in her death, she gave me life and I will be eternally grateful for that._

Kurt smiled, remembering he said the same thing in the article he had read, then continued reading.

_I know nothing I say will take away the pain of losing her, but just know that you did not lose all of her. I am not talking about the fact that I, and hopefully many others, have a piece of her with us now, but I am talking about the fact that her spirit will be with you forever._

_I know I don't know anything about her, or any of you, but I have a feeling that she was a great woman._

_There are so many things I want to say to you, but I will keep it short for now. I hope we get to talk more in the future and, maybe on day, meet in person._

_Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart._

_John Davies_

Kurt was sitting on his bed by the time he got to the end of the letter. He had a feeling that he would have liked John. He seemed like a very grandpa-ish type. He wished he would have gotten the chance to to know him.

He read over the letter twice more before setting it down beside him on the bed.

He picked the manila envelope up again, pulling the other letter out.

This one had a heart drawn on the back, just like his father had said. He knew that meant that, whoever sent this note got his mom's heart… and that just made his own heart race.

He opened the envelope, not even thinking to look at the address and name on the front first.

His eyebrows furrowed when he caught sight of the paper inside the envelope.

Construction paper, to be exact.

Pink construction paper, to be even more exact.

On the front of the hand-made card was a giant, red heart that covered most of the page.

He slowly opened the card, expecting it to be some sort of horrible joke when he saw the whole thing written with a mix of blue, green and orange colored pencils, then he began to read.

_Hello, Hummels. My mommy told me that your wife and mommy gave me a new heart. I know you are sad that you lost her, but I am so happy with my heart. I have to take medicine every day to make sure the heart stays safe, but I don't mind. Since I know you miss her heart, I wanted to give you this one._

Drawn underneath was another huge heart, but this time little tiny hearts were drawn inside of it. Each one a different color.

_Thank you for giving me her heart. I promise I will take good care of it._

Kurt didn't know he was crying until he felt a tear fall onto his hand.

He laid the letter in his lap and wiped the tears from his cheeks, but more just fell to replace them.

A little child got his mom's heart… He didn't even think that was possible. He thought children could only get organs from other children… He never would have thought… God, he didn't even know what to think.

Kurt grabbed the envelope to look at the name on the front.

It was messily written in blue ink, telling him that whoever received the heart- a boy, he knows now, by the name- is who wrote out the name and address on the front of the card.

Kurt went over to his desk, where his computer is at, and opens it up. He brings up Firefox, but, instead of going to Google this time, he goes to Facebook. He knows that, if you want to find someone young, Facebook is a much better option than Google.

So, with a racing heart and tears still rolling down his face- something which he didn't quite understand why it wouldn't stop- he typed the boy's name into the the search bar.

_Blaine Anderson_

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so I must admit that I don't really know how searching would go for this type of thing, but, for this story, let's pretend this is how it goes :) I mean, it is AU anyway, so...<strong>

**I hope you guys enjoy and, yes, I do have a writing problem :( But I really don't want it to go away.**

**Please, please review and let me know what you think. I need to know whether to continue or not! Thanks :D**


	2. Find

_"She didn't suffer."_

There were a lot of Blaine Anderson's… Well, not exactly a lot, but too many for Kurt's taste.

It wasn't like he expected it to be easy; Anderson was a pretty common last name, but he hoped it would be some magical thing where only one Blaine Anderson had a Facebook and he would have written in big letters on the front of his page, _"I AM WHO YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, KURT!"_

Yeah, he knew that was completely unrealistic, but one can dream, right?

He narrowed it down somewhat, excluding anyone who looked over twenty. He knew that whoever got his mom's heart had to be around his age with the card that they wrote.

He clicked on the first possibility to see that he was twenty-six, he just looked really, really young. That happened two more times, one guy being twenty-four and the other being thirty.

The next guy lived in Nevada, and was eighteen, but was also a very heavy drinker. Pretty much all of his photos showed him at some type of party, alcohol in hand.

While it was possible this was the Blaine he was looking for, he couldn't bare the thought that his mom's heart was in that boy. Whoever had written that card had made promise to take care of his mom's heart, and Kurt expected them to keep that promise. He knew that this Blaine Anderson person was young when he wrote that card… but is that really something you forget? Would someone really go back on a promise like that?

He quickly went back to the main search page, clicking on the last boy in the line.

This Blaine Anderson seemed to be a pretty private person. All that Kurt could see was that he was seventeen, male (_'duh,'_ Kurt thought), and that his school was Dalton Academy.

His profile picture was four boys, all in uniforms, with their arms around each others shoulders. They were all smiling widely and looked like really good friends.

The photo itself made Kurt smile.

He clicked on it to get a better look, but he couldn't… Apparently this Blaine Anderson was a _very_ private person.

That's it. That's all he had to go on. There was nothing to prove that this Blaine Anderson was the one who received his mom's heart. No sign that he had heart problems whatsoever. All Kurt had to go on was a gut feeling. And maybe it was more of a denial feeling, not wanting the heavy drinker to be the one, but the next thing Kurt knew, he was on Google and typing Dalton Academy into the search bar.

Their website came up first and he quickly clicked on it.

When the page loaded, the first thing he saw was its location.

Westerville, Ohio.

Kurt knew, from trips he had made with his dad to get car parts for work, that Westerville was only a little over an hour away.

He smiled widely, his heart leaping with excitement.

He jumped out of his chair, ran downstairs, and headed straight to the garage, knowing his dad is pretending to clean it out for Carole.

"Dad! Dad! Dad!" Kurt repeated excitedly, and loudly, when he reached the garage.

Burt bumped his head on a shelf. "Ow!" He yelped, then turned to Kurt, rubbing the back of his head. "What is it, Kurt?"

"I- I found him! I mean, I think I found him! I could have possibly found him!" Kurt jumped up and down a little, clapping his hands together.

"Kurt," His dad said, moving closer to him. "Calm down and let me know what the heck you're talking about."

Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes. It never failed to annoy him at how oblivious his dad could be. "The boy who got mom's heart, Dad. He's only like an hour away- I mean, if it's him. I really, really want to go meet him. His name's-"

"Whoa, Kurt, just- just stop for a second."

Kurt took a breath, giving Burt a chance to speak.

"You're not going to go meet him, Kurt."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Wh- What do you mean?"

"Kurt, I didn't give you those letters as a way of saying that you can just go off and meet these people. Once you're eighteen, if you still feel the need to meet him, _then_ you can."

"But, Dad-"

"How old is he, Kurt? You called him a boy."

"He's… He's my age."

"So he's underage?"

Kurt crossed his arms. "Dad, I don't understand what you're saying."

"He's young, Kurt, and so are you. What if he doesn't want to meet you? What if he never wants to think about the fact that the heart inside of him isn't his?.. What if he's homophobic?"

"What?"

Burt took a step closer to Kurt, putting his hand on Kurt's shoulder. "This isn't some fairytale, Kurt. You're expecting to meet him, tell him who you are, and have him instantly wrap you in a hug and tell you how happy he is to meet you… I don't want you to be disappointed when that doesn't happen. You're too young right now, Kurt."

Kurt pushed away Burt's hand. "But, Dad, you just told me when you handed me those letters that I was close enough to eighteen, and now you're telling me I'm not? That makes no sense."

"That was for reading those letters, Kurt. That's it."

"So you let me get my hopes up just to crush them again?" Kurt questioned, his voice raising. "That's completely unfair, Dad!"

"Kurt, you don't even know if this is the right boy!" Burt exclaimed, matching Kurt's raised voice. "You said it yourself! It's just a possibility!"

"But I have to try, Dad! I'll always wonder if it's him or not, and I have a feeling-"

"That's enough, Kurt. My answer is no."

Tears brimmed in Kurt's eyes. He turned from his dad and quickly left the room, practically running past Carole in the kitchen and going straight to his room, where he shut and locked himself in.

* * *

><p>After giving Burt a couple of minutes, Carole went out into the garage. "What was that about?" She asked.<p>

Burt sighed. "Kurt thinks he found the kid who got Lizzie's heart."

"Oh my God," Carole replied. "That's amazing… and fast," She looked down at her watch. "He only got those letters two hours ago… Why's he upset?"

"Cause I told him he couldn't go meet him… Apparently the boy lives about an hour away."

Carole sat down on a large box that was filled with old books. "And why can't he meet him?"

Burt sighed again, turning from the shelf he was (not) cleaning. "Because, they're both seventeen. They're too young to be going through all of this. They need to wait until they're older, more mature."

"Didn't you just give Kurt those letters because he _is_ more mature?"

"Kurt is mature, Carole, but what about the other boy? Kurt's not even sure if it's the right person, he's just going on a feeling. And what if he meets this kid, and the kid makes fun of him, or hates him, or tells him to get away from him? It would break Kurt's heart."

Carole nodded. "I understand where you're coming from…" She paused as she stood back up, moving closer to Burt. "But is it really Kurt's heart you're worried about… or is it your own?"

With that said, she turned and made her way back into the house, leaving Burt to think.

* * *

><p>The next morning, after keeping himself locked in his room all night, Kurt exited his room just in time to leave for school.<p>

He told Carole goodbye as he and Finn headed out the door, but said nothing to Burt.

The first part of the ride was silent, until Finn couldn't take it anymore.

"You okay, dude? You've been, like, super quiet the whole ride."

"I didn't know I had to keep you entertained."

"You don't… but you're usually always talking about something."

"I'm trying to keep my focus on the road, Finn, so we don't have a car accident and die."

Finn took a deep breath. "Kurt-"

"No, Finn… I'm just- I'm having a bad day, okay? That's it."

Finn sighed. "Okay."

The rest of the ride was quiet, neither of them making any effort to speak.

When they finally got to school, Finn got out of the car quickly, jogging over to Rachel and walking inside with her.

Kurt opened his satchel, pulled a piece of paper out of his notebook, tapped the address into the navigation system, and pulled back out of his parking spot.

He didn't care what his father said, he was going to meet this Blaine Anderson.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow! I did not expect so many reviews on the first chapter! Thank you guys so much! You make me :D<strong>

**I hope you all like chapter two! Blaine arrives next chapter, but that's all I'm sayin' ;)**

**Review and let me know what you think! Thanks so much!**


	3. Blaine

_"There was too much blood loss."_

When Kurt pulled into the Dalton Academy parking lot, he could only think one thing. _'Whoa.'_

The place was huge. It looked less like a school and more like a castle. He couldn't believe a bunch of boys were inside, running through the halls. It looked like a place where you'd have to stand in a straight line, making sure not to touch anything…

_'Maybe that is what they have to do,'_ Kurt thought once he had parked.

Taking the keys out of the ignition, he took a deep breath. This was it. This is the place where he'd meet Blaine… Well, _hopefully_. That was the goal, anyway.

He looked in his rear view mirror one last time, straightening his tie, before getting out of the car.

He hoped his outfit was close enough to the school's uniform. He had spent over two hours picking out something from his wardrobe that was as close to the uniform as he could get.

It wasn't until Kurt actually enters Dalton that he realized he didn't have a plan. The only thing he knew is that Blaine is one of the four boys in his profile picture. He has no idea what classes they have- not that he'd know where those classrooms were anyway- or if they're even there today.

He looked around the large room, not quite sure where to go.

Everything was just so… _big_. The walls were tall, the ceiling decorated with huge chandeliers, the room seemed to go on forever.

Then there was the staircase. A giant staircase.

"Worth a shot," Kurt said to himself as he walked over to the staircase and began climb it.

It was so quite. Kurt figured everyone must be in class, but the quiet was still odd. At McKinley it was always loud. Even if everyone was in class, the halls still seemed to be loud. It was so different here… Peaceful.

Once upstairs, he walked down a hallway, biting the inside of his cheek nervously, then walked back up it. As he was making his way back, the bell rang. Within a few seconds the halls were filled with boys laughing and hurrying off. _'Well, that gets rid of the must-walk-in-a-line theory.'_

Kurt stood still, occasionally getting bumped in the arm, but almost always hearing a "sorry" afterward- which was the odd part.

He noticed that everyone was going in the same direction.

_'Weird,'_ He thought, but decided to follow.

He made it halfway down the staircase when he spotted a familiar face; and really, who could forget that hair?

He went a little faster to catch up, then tapped the boy on the back when he got close enough.

The boy turned, his eyebrows raised in question.

"Hi," Kurt began, "I'm Kurt and I'm, um, new here and I was wondering… Where's everyone going?"

The boy smiled, reaching out his hand for Kurt to shake. "I'm Jeff, and we're all going to watch the Warblers perform… Well, I'm not, cause I'm _in_ the Warblers, but, still."

"The Warblers?"

"That's the show choir group here." Jeff turned and waved for Kurt to follow. "Come with me."

Kurt sighed as he followed Jeff. He was half glad that he could at least mark one person off of the list, but half sad that he still had no idea who Blaine was yet.

He followed Jeff to a room filled with boys waiting to listen to the Warblers. "I have to go," Jeff said, "but listen and let us know what you think afterward, okay?" He asked with a smile.

Kurt smiled back. "O- Okay."

Jeff went off, standing behind a row of boys as they started to sing.

A boy came from the side to the middle of the room and began to sing. Kurt recognized him from the photo and, by looking around, spots the other two boys as well.

Kurt's heart began to race, and not because the lead singer seemed to keep smiling at him.

One of them was Blaine.

It was almost too much to take in. If the song hadn't been so upbeat, Kurt probably would have burst into tears right then. But, instead, he took a long, shaky breath and smiled, lightly bouncing his head to the beat of the song.

Once the song was over, everyone clapped then began to head out.

The blond one, Jeff, made his way back over to Kurt. "So?"

"That was really good," Kurt replied, smile still on his face.

"Thanks. So, I was wondering if you'd want to come to the break room during free period, if yours is the same as mine."

"When is your free period?" Kurt asked, knowing Jeff would ask him that next.

"Two hours."

"Yup, that's mine too."

"Great! I figured you hadn't met many people yet seeing you're knew. You can meet my friends. They're pretty awesome people."

Kurt nodded. "Great, yeah, I'd like that."

Jeff began to walk out of the room, but continued talking, so Kurt followed. "What's your next class?"

"Um, French II."

Jeff laughed a little, nodding his head. "Okay. Well, see ya later, Kurt," He added, before heading off.

"Bye."

Everyone went into their classrooms, making the halls empty once again as the bell rang.

Kurt sighed. "Where the heck is the break room?" He mumbled to himself. He looked at his watch, then decided to spend the next two hours looking for it.

* * *

><p>About one hour and fifty two minutes later, he finally found what could possibly be the break room… or it could be the teacher's lounge. Kurt really wasn't sure.<p>

He also wasn't sure why a high school even had a "break room" for kids. That made absolutely no sense. However, nothing about this school really made sense to him.

He sat down at one of the tables, spotting the coffee pot, cups, and cream and sugar packets in the corner. His eyebrows furrowed. "This place is insane."

He sat there for a few more minutes by himself, until the bell rang. Within seconds, boys were piling in the room, crowding around tables, talking to each other and laughing.

"Hey," Kurt heard a familiar voice say.

He looked behind him to see Jeff, along with three other boys, walking up to his table.

"Hi," He replied shyly.

The boys sat down.

Kurt instantly recognized two from the photo. One was an Asian boy, and the other was a boy whose ethnicity Kurt wasn't really sure- he was also the lead singer of the Warblers, apparently. Then there was another white boy who wasn't from the picture.

"Wes," The Asian boy introduced, sticking out his hand for Kurt to shake.

"Kurt."

The next boy did the same. "Nick."

"Kurt."

Then, the boy with what Kurt decided were puppy dog eyes. "Blaine."

At that moment, Ryan Reynolds could have entered the room naked and Kurt wouldn't have noticed.

He shook Blaine's hand, trying to force away the shocked look on his face. "K-Kurt," He stuttered.

_'Smooth,'_ He thought to himself.

"Jeff told us a little bit about you, Kurt," Wes started once the introductions were done. "He said you were new here?"

Kurt forced himself to look away from Blaine, who was looking over at Wes.

"Um, yeah- yes, I am."

"So, are you from Ohio?"

"Yes. Lima."

"That's not too far from here. You have French II for third period?"

"Yes, I do," Kurt replied. Something about the questioning was making him nervous… Maybe it was because he didn't go here and almost everything coming out of his mouth was a lie… _Maybe_.

"Yes, I do."

"We all take Spanish or German… Who is the French teacher again?"

_'Oh crap.'_

"Um… Mr. Wilson."

The boys began to laugh and Kurt felt his cheeks turning red.

"Okay, Kurt, where are you _really_ from?" Nick asked.

Kurt sat up straighter. "What do you mean?"

"There is no Mr. Wilson here," Jeff explained. "French II isn't a third period class for anyone, and they would never let any student walk these halls without a uniform… even if they were new. We know you're not from here, Kurt."

Now, Kurt was even more nervous. "Please don't beat me up," He said quickly.

"We're not gonna beat you up, Kurt," Blaine replied softly, drawing Kurt's attention to him once more.

"Yeah, that's not how we do things here," Jeff added.

Kurt let out a relieved breath.

"We do wanna know why you're here though," Nick said. "Spying from another glee club?" He guessed.

Kurt shook his head. "No, no… I mean, I am in my school's glee club, but-" He glanced at Blaine.

_"But, I found a letter from a Blaine Anderson, about him receiving a heart transplant from my mom a long time ago, and I was wondering if that was you,"_ Was what Kurt _wanted_ to say.

"But, I just wanted to know what this school was like. I've always gone to public school, so I wondered if private school was different," Was what he _actually_ said.

They all seemed to nod in unison, taking his answer as truth.

"And, what are your thoughts so far?" Jeff asked curiously.

Kurt took a deep breath. "Honestly? I think this is the most peaceful place I've been in a long time," He replied, being completely honest. He was pretty sure this was the longest he had been in a school without being called a name, or shoved purposefully. The place had such a comforting feeling that it brought tears to his eyes. He looked down at the table, not wanting them to see.

"Um, guys, can I talk to Kurt alone for a second?"

That voice made Kurt's head pop back up.

Blaine.

Blaine had said that.

Blaine wanted to talk to him alone.

But why?

Kurt's heart started pounding.

The other boys nodded, telling Kurt bye and beginning to walk off.

Kurt wasn't sure if he replied or not. The next thing he knew, he and Blaine were sitting alone at the table, and he was staring into the eyes of the boy who possibly had a piece of his mother with him.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you guys for being patient with me, and for your concern for my grandma. She is home from the hospital now, but is very weak and not feeling very well. However, the vomiting has stopped so that's a good thing. She's almost 90 years old, so spells like this where she gets really sick scare us all.<strong>

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed chapter three! Let me know what you think! :) Thanks!**

**Oh, and I have a tumblr, in case you guys want to follow along there: http: /notalone88. tumblr. com/ **

**I think my ask box is open, in case you had a question, but I honestly still have no idea how the heck to use tumblr.  
><strong>


	4. Thump

_"Where's Mommy, Daddy?"_

"Would you like to go for a walk?" Blaine asked. He glanced around the room, then looked back to Kurt. "It's kinda crowded in here."

"Um, sure," Kurt replied, his voice slightly higher than normal. He quickly cleared his throat as he got up and followed Blaine out of the room.

They went to the back of the school, exiting two large double doors- Kurt was beginning to believe they only knew one size for things around here- and entering a garden.

"Whoa," Kurt said in surprise, looking around.

"Yeah," Blaine replied, laughing a little at the look on Kurt's face. "This place isn't like public schools."

"This place is insane. Like, everything about it is insane. I walked around for two hours and never saw a teacher, or security."

Blaine nodded. He began walking down a path that led back behind some trees. Kurt looked around for a second longer before catching up.

"The teachers here don't really walk around," Blaine said. "And we don't have security… don't need it."

"Again I say, _insane_."

Blaine smiled. "Everyone here is pretty trusting of one another. I've been here for two years now, only seen one fight. The guy who started it was expelled immediately."

"Must be nice," Kurt replied, looking around at the flowers and trees surrounding them. "I mean, not the fight, but the feeling of safety; the trust."

"It is," Blaine agreed.

They were quiet for a few steps. They reached a bench and Blaine sat down, Kurt following suit.

"Before I came to Dalton," Blaine started, "I was at a public school. I was bullied… a lot. I don't know what your story is, but I was bullied because I'm gay."

Kurt had to stop his eyes from popping out of his head at that moment.

"Kids were… unbelievably cruel," He continued. "I thought I was doing the right thing by coming out. I thought it would show other kids who were afraid to that they could do it too," He laughed humorlessly, "God was I wrong."

"My problem's the same," Kurt replied softly. "Except I'm not _just_ gay, I'm a flaming gay." They both laughed. "I have the weird fashion sense, I hate sports, I like staying clean, skin care routines are a must… the voice doesn't help much either."

Blaine looked at Kurt. "I like your voice. It's unique."

Kurt grinned a little, blushing. "Thank you," He replied, looking away so Blaine wouldn't see his cheeks turning red.

Blaine smiled as well, but after a moment it faded. "Well, Dalton is great. I'm out here, and nobody cares, but… but it isn't exactly what _I_ wanted. My parents are very protective of me, and they made me come here after an… _incident_ at my old school. They practically begged me not to come out when I started school here, but I refused to live in the closet.

"Anyway, I feel like my bullies won. That, by leaving, I showed them that they have power over me… and I hate that so much."

Blaine turned to Kurt, looking him right in the eyes. "Please don't let that happen to you, Kurt. I wasn't strong enough to face up to my bullies, but I have a feeling you are."

Kurt smiled, fighting back the tears in his eyes. "How do you know?"

Blaine shrugged. "I can just tell. You don't seem like the type that takes crap from people."

"Thank you," Kurt said with a laugh.

"No problem," Blaine replied. He looked down at his watch and sighed. "I better get back," He said, standing up.

Kurt stood as well. "Oh, okay… Well, um, it was nice talking to you." He tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. It had been wonderful talking to Blaine, but he hadn't really said any of the things he had wanted to say so badly.

Blaine just looked at him for a moment. "Um, Kurt, do you mind if I give you my number? I have a feeling you won't be able to make regular visits here, and it'd be nice to have a friend who lived outside of this," He motioned around with his hands, "world."

Kurt smiled. "Yeah, sure. I'd like that too… I mean, one that lived outside of _my_ world… I mean- Why don't I just give you my phone?"

Blaine laughed. "Okay."

Kurt handed him his phone and Blaine put his number in, then handed it back to Kurt. "Just text me later and let me know who you are so I can add your number to mine, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

><p>They walked back into the building together, then went their separate ways. Blaine was going to walk Kurt all the way out, but Kurt knew that would have made him late for class so he said he could find his own way.<p>

He did pretty good keeping his emotions in check, until he got to his car.

He shut and locked the door, then started the car. But, before he could even think of pulling out of the parking lot, tears filled in his eyes.

"Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry," He repeated to himself, taking deep breaths.

It was pointless. He couldn't stop it.

Tears started falling down his cheeks as his bottom lip trembled.

He cried because he had found Blaine.

He cried because he didn't even know for sure if this was the right Blaine.

He cried because he didn't just ask Blaine if he was the right person.

He cried because Blaine was so open and honest with him.

He cried because Blaine was nice and actually helped him with his problem at school.

He cried because he wasn't even supposed to be here.

He cried because he couldn't tell his dad about his day.

He cried because he'd have to lie and say he'd been at school.

He cried because his friends would know that he hadn't been at school and Finn would question him.

And he cried because his mom was gone and she'd never be back.

His head was lying on the steering wheel as he clutched it with his hands tightly. His shoulders shook, and he remembered what his mom used to do when he was little and sad or scared.

_"What's wrong, honey?"_

_"I had a bad dream."_

_"Come on, let's get you back to bed."_

_"You won't leave me will you?"_

_"You know I won't. We'll do what we always do. Now, let's lie down."_

_"It was a scary dream, Mommy."_

_"The monsters again?"_

_"Yes."_

_"I'm sorry, baby."_

_"Can I..?"_

_"Of course you can. Lay your head on my chest."_

Kurt could still hear the familiar beating of her heart. It always had the same rhythm. _Thump… thump… thump, thump… thump._

It could make him fall asleep faster than any story ever could. It was the most soothing sound to his ears. Some nights he'd fake a nightmare just so she'd lie with him and let him listen to her heart.

Kurt cried until he couldn't produce any more tears.

He finally released his grip on the steering wheel and lifted his head, wiping his eyes.

He looked over at the clock to see that he had just about an hour to make it back to school in time to pick up Finn.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Thanks so much for all the reviews and alerts! I didn't expect so much love :)<strong>

**For some reason, I always pictured Dalton as having a garden... Hence, the garden. :)  
><strong>

**Please review the chapter and let me know what you think. It means a lot to me!**


	5. Text

_"When will she be back?"_

Kurt made it back to McKinley in just enough time to park the car before the last bell rang. A few seconds later, kids were running out of the building. Senior jocks pushing the smaller, freshmen kids out of the way, making fun of them because they had to wait for rides or take the bus. Kurt shook his head and sighed. They'd never change. Every year new jocks will come along and replace the old. And every year new targets will come along and their lives will be made a living hell for at least the next year, possibly all four if they were really unlucky. It was an endless, vicious cycle of hunter and prey.

Kurt was thrown back to the present when the passenger door was jerked open and Finn hopped inside, quickly closing the door behind him.

"Where the heck were you?" Were the first words out of his mouth.

"Ready to go?" Kurt asked, ignoring him.

"Do _not_ take this car out of park, Kurt! You drop me off at school and then bail? I hear from Mercedes and Tina that you weren't in homeroom or first period, then I come out here after the second period bell and find that the car's gone! I didn't even _go_ to my second period class because I was walking around, looking in bathrooms, the locker room, dumpsters, and anywhere else some idiot might have dumped you! I was scared, Kurt, okay? Where were you?"

Kurt sighed. If he didn't feel bad before- which he _really, really_ did- he definitely did now. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you, I just… I had to see someone."

"Who?"

"A… A boy."

"A boy? What are you talking ab-" Finn stopped as realization hit him. "Oh… You have a boyfriend?" He smiled, gently knocking Kurt's shoulder, "Why didn't you tell me, Kurt?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "No, not a boyfriend, Finn."

Finn's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Well, then… What boy? What for? Is someone bothering you? I may be stupid, Kurt, but I'm not dumb, I know something's up."

"I think that sentence speaks for itself," Kurt mumbled. After a moment, he turned his head to look at Finn. "I've been looking for the people who has my mom's organs, you remember?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I found the guy that had her liver-"

"But I thought he was dead?"

"You really do remember," Kurt replied, shocked.

"Should I be offended right now?"

"No… Just, anyway, I found the guy who has her heart… I think."

"Oh my God, dude, that's amazing!"

"Yeah." He sighed. "So, today, I went to meet him. He's my age, goes to Dalton Academy, he's super nice, and kind, and caring-" He stopped, not realizing until now that tears were coming down his face.

"Then, why are you crying?"

"Cause I couldn't just ask him!" Kurt exclaimed, wiping the tears from his eyes with the back of his hands, even though more immediately replaced them. "This is what I've wanted for years, and I finally get the chance to maybe meet someone who has a piece of her, and I can't even ask! I chickened out, and he was so nice and helped me with my problems and gave me his phone number and said he wanted to be my friend and-"

Finn reached over, moving so he was kneeling on the seat, and wrapped his arms around Kurt.

Kurt stopped rambling. "What are you doing?"

"Hugging you."

"Why?"

"You seem like you need one."

After a moment of just letting Finn hold him, Kurt returned the hug. The fact that they were in a car and were in weird positions made it kind of awkward, but neither cared.

A few seconds later, Finn pulled back and sat back down. They were both silent for a minute, then Finn spoke again.

"Wait, why did you have to go during school? Is that why you and Burt aren't talking?"

"You really do notice more than I realized," Kurt replied, looking over at him.

"Again, should I be offended?"

Kurt sighed. "Yes, that's why we're not talking," He said, answering the first question. "He didn't want me to go see Blaine- that's his name- he said I should wait until I was older, but I had to… even though it kinda turned into an epic fail."

"I wouldn't say that. I mean, you did get his number, you said. _And_ he wants to be your friend. That's something, right?"

"I… I guess so."

Finn turned so he was sitting in his seat sideways, "Listen, Kurt, I get it. If I knew that people had pieces of my dad, I'd want to find them too, so… if you ever need me to cover for you or whatever, I'll do it, okay?"

Kurt smiled, his eyes still red from crying. "Thanks, Finn. You're a good brother."

Finn smiled brightly. "Thanks!"

Kurt took a deep breath. "So, ready to go _now_?"

"Yes. Now I am ready," He replied, sitting in his seat the right way and strapping his seatbelt on. "Oh, and by the way, I told everyone who asked that you weren't feeling good today, so, if they ask you... that's what I said."

Kurt nodded, realizing just how thankful he was that he had a step-brother like Finn.

* * *

><p><em>6:55pm<em>

_Pink or purple?_

6:57pm

What?

_6:57pm_

_Pink or purple? Which do you prefer?_

6:59pm

Um… purple? Why?

_7:02pm_

_Bow tie options._

7:08pm

Ohhh. Well, in that case, what else are you wearing?

_7:10pm_

_Obnoxious black dress pants. A light green, long sleeve, dress shirt. And a white sweater vest._

_7:15pm_

_Kurt?_

7:18pm

Sorry, I was having to clean my eyes out from the painfulness of that image.

_7:19pm_

_Ughhhhhh… Kurt!_

7:21pm

I must say, I did not expect this to be the first text conversation I ever had with you.

_7:22pm_

_Oh, so you've thought about it? *wink wink*_

7:23pm

*overly-dramatic eyeroll* No, but most people start a first text with "Hey!" or "This is (insert name here), remember me?"

_7:25pm_

_Well, that sounds really boring and generic. Plus, I put my name in your phone and you sent me a text to add your name to my phone, so I think we know who we are._

7:26pm

Changing subject… Do you have time to change out of the hideousness that you're wearing?

_7:27pm_

_Gotta say, I didn't expect our first text conversation to have you insulting my clothing… and no, I don't. I have to be downstairs in 3 minutes._

_7:27pm_

_Oh, and I hate the clothes too, but only the bow tie is really my choice._

7:28pm

Okay, well, do you have a black bow tie?

_7:29pm_

_I have every bow tie imaginable._

7:29pm

Even a black and white checkered one?

_7:30pm_

_3 different ones, actually. Large checkered, medium checkered, small checkered… Oh, wait, 4! Multi-sized checkered._

7:31pm

Oh my god! Ok… Small checks. Purple would make you look like Barney, and pink would make you look like sherbet. Checks are loud and show your rebellion toward your outfit.

_7:32pm_

_I like the way you think, Hummel, however I'm two minutes late now and my dad's acting like he's gonna have a heart attack because of it. Laterzzz!_

7:34pm

Please tell me you don't seriously add a "z" to words?

_7:35pm_

_Consider it a test… You passed! Congratulations! Seriously gotta go now._

7:38pm

Have fun with… whatever it is you're doing!

* * *

><p>Kurt couldn't tell you what he was thinking during that conversation. He wasn't even sure if he was thinking anything. He had just finished a quiet dinner with Finn, Carole and his dad, then came up to his room just as his phone buzzed.<p>

When he saw it was Blaine, he was shocked. He hadn't expected a text from Blaine just the day after meeting him. He thought it would be a week, or maybe even longer… or maybe Kurt would have to text him first.

But once he opened the text, all of his thoughts were just… gone. It was the weirdest first text he had ever received and, in a way, it was the best text he had ever received. It was almost as though he and Blaine had been friends for a long time. It was comfortable.

And, once the conversation was over, Kurt laid back on his bed, held his phone close to his chest, and wondered what exactly Blaine was doing until he fell asleep two hours later.

* * *

><p><strong>In case you couldn't tell, Blaine's texts are in italics and Kurt's aren't. I think it's pretty easy to see, but I know I'd have at least one person ask if I didn't mention it.<strong>

**Also, I never use "text talk" or whatever when I do texts... I can't handle it. I like full sentences, and real words, and I think both Kurt and Blaine would too. **

**Lastly, thank you all for the reviews! They mean so much to me! I love knowing whether you guys are enjoying (or not- as long as you're nice about it). I wish I could reach through the computer screen and give each of my reviewers a pair of socks! So, just imagine I am! :)**


	6. Errands

_"Daddy, I want Mommy."_

"I honestly don't understand why you do this to me, Mr. Schuester. It's not fair."

"Rachel, for the last time, not getting to sing a solo for one week is not going to kill you. You've lived through it before."

"But I prepared a Celine Dion song already. I've been practicing every night in my room!"

"And you will get a chance to sing it next week."

Kurt sat in the back row, between Mercedes and an empty seat, playing a game of solitaire on his phone. He had zoned out of Rachel and Mr. Schue's argument about ten minutes ago. At first, it was kind of funny, then it got annoying, so he decided to focus his attention elsewhere.

He was just one move away from the part where the game finishes itself and makes the cool swishy noise when a text came through. He was about to groan in annoyance, then he saw it was from Blaine.

He and Blaine had been texting back and forth for about a week now. Sometimes it would be completely random conversations, like "how many bow ties are considered too many?" started by Blaine, or "why are people still wearing culottes? I don't understand!" started by Kurt.

Other times, Blaine would send Kurt words of encouragement, just letting him know that anytime Kurt needed to talk, he was there.

This time, however, when Kurt opened the text, it was far more simple than either of those.

_2:54pm_

_:(_

Kurt was slightly confused… Okay, very confused.

2:54pm

What's wrong?

_2:56pm_

_I'm giving you a pouty look before asking a favor._

Kurt chuckled… He actually chuckled! And if there's one thing he's not, it's a chuckler! He looked up, glancing around the room to make sure no one noticed. It seemed as though everyone was still enjoying the Rachel Berry Meltdown of the Week too much to notice.

Breathing a sigh in relief, he texted back.

2:57pm

What favor?

_2:58pm_

_Once a month, I run errands all day for my mom. This Saturday is the day. I hate going alone, but no one here will go with me. I understand if you have plans… but please tell me you don't have plans!_

3:01pm

Hm, I don't know… I feel like I'm a last choice here.

(He was joking, of course. The actual thought of getting to spend the day with Blaine was way too good to pass up.)

_3:02pm_

_NO! You're not last choice at all… I just didn't think you'd want to, so I asked some guys around here, but they said no, so… I'm rambling._

3:03pm

Yes, you are. And, I was kidding. I don't have plans, and I'd love to join you… although I have a feeling there's a reason your other friends won't go…

_3:04pm_

_Oh thank God!_

**3:06pm**

**YES! YES! DON'T DO IT! DON'T FALL IN THE TRAP! THIS IS A WARNING!**

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed. He had no idea who had sent the text, and it kinda freaked him out a little.

Before he had a chance to respond, however, Blaine texted him again.

_3:07pm_

_Sorry! That was Jeff. He stole my phone, and your number. Don't listen to him… It's going to be… fun!_

Kurt let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

3:08pm

haha, Thank god! I thought I was about to be murdered or something. I'm in for Saturday.

_3:09pm_

_Yay! See ya then! Thanks, Kurt! You're saving me from a world of boredom._

Kurt smiled and went back to Jeff's text.

3:10pm

Sorry, you were too late. I already fell in.

**3:12pm**

**smh. I tried! Good luck!**

Mr. Schue clapped his hands together as Rachel took her seat. Apparently the fight was over.

"Okay class. Let's get started… _finally_."

Kurt put his phone away, trying to ignore the fact that butterflies were forming in his stomach over his excitement for Saturday.

He made up his mind. Saturday was it. Saturday he'd tell Blaine the real reason he came to Dalton.

* * *

><p>Friday night, Blaine texted Kurt that he'd pick him up at his house around nine, so Kurt gave him his address then went to Finn and let him know what he was doing.<p>

Finn informed him that he'd be spending Saturday with Rachel, so, if Burt asked, Kurt could tell him he was going along.

He was thankful for that as, when Burt asked that night if he wanted to help out at the shop, Kurt could give him a reason as to why he couldn't, without stumbling over his words.

The next day, Kurt woke up at seven-thirty to begin getting ready. He listened to his dad, who he still wasn't speaking to very much, leave for work around eight, then went downstairs for breakfast.

He was ready to go five minutes before Blaine was to arrive, so he simply waited downstairs on the couch.

* * *

><p>A couple of minutes later, a text came through.<p>

_8:57am_

_Got here a little early. Do you want me to come to the door, or are you ready?_

Instead of replying, Kurt got off of the couch and headed for the door. He didn't want to seem too eager, so he waited at the door for about thirty seconds before opening it and going to the car.

He hoped he wasn't dressed up or down too much. He went with simple for today. Dark blue jeans, a white shirt, and a black vest over it.

Blaine smiled and unlocked the car door as Kurt neared. When Kurt got in, he took a quick note of Blaine's black pants, which were folded up around the ankles, and his red, polo shirt, and decided that they both looked dressed for the same type of occasion- which made him breathe a little easier.

"Hello," Blaine said Kurt closed the door back and reached for his seat belt.

"Hey," Kurt replied. "So, what's first on the list of things to do today?"

Blaine placed the car in reverse, looking back to make sure no one was coming before he headed out of the driveway.

"UPS. My mom wants me to drop off a package for my brother."

Kurt nodded. "To UPS it is!"

Blaine was silent for a short moment before taking in a deep, loud breath. "Okay, so I just want to apologize in advance for the freakishly boring day you're about to have. I really hope you didn't have other plans, because I'm sure they would be funner than this. I'd also like to apologize for the misleading."

Kurt laughed. "You didn't mislead me. I understood the sarcasm in your texts. And, this is the first time I've had plans on a Saturday in over two months, so anything is thrilling."

"Alright then, it should be a pretty good day," Blaine replied with a smile. His smile faded after a few seconds. "So, how's school?"

"Fine, _Dad_," Kurt joked. "How's work?"

"Okay, okay," Blaine replied, holding up one hand in surrender, "That _did_ sound like a parent question… but, you know what I mean."

"Bullies are still there, I'm still there," He shrugged, "It is what it is."

"That's not how it _should_ be though."

"Yeah, I know. But, enough with sad talk. We may have been talking all week, but we haven't been able to get to know each other yet and my father says to never get in cars with strangers."

"Then shouldn't we have talked _before_ you got in my car?"

Kurt waved him off. "Anyway, tell me something about yourself."

"Okay…" He thought for a moment. "Well, I'm seventeen. I go to Dalton Academy. I'm gay. I sing."

Kurt just stared at him a moment before responding. "Okay, I seriously knew every single bit of that already."

Blaine laughed. "Sorry. There's not much more than that. What about you?"

Kurt sighed. "You already know all the basics."

"Then there's only one thing to do."

"And what's that?"

Blaine reached over and turned the radio up. "Sing to the top of our lungs, making everyone at every stop light stare at us in annoyance… Especially the old people."

* * *

><p>It took Kurt a little more coaxing, but eventually he joined Blaine in the sing-a-long. They laughed ridiculously hard after a woman, who was probably close to ninety years old, shot them a bird.<p>

* * *

><p>They dropped the package off, then headed to their next stop, which was the grocery store.<p>

Kurt read off the list as Blaine picked out everything his mom had written down, then he turned back, saying now he had to get what _he_ would eat.

They talked and joked as Blaine picked out different things. It killed Kurt, but he kept his mouth shut as he watched Blaine put all different kinds of junk foods into the cart.

Well, okay, he didn't _completely_ keep his mouth shut. The Pop-Tarts were the breaking point.

"Okay, you can't do this, Blaine."

Blaine's eyebrows furrowed and he looked over at Kurt. "Do what?"

"Triple Fudge Pop-Tarts, Blaine? Really?"

"They're delicious!" He defended.

"They're also going to kill you… You need fruit."

"I got fruit already… from the list. I only eat junk on the weekends, the rest of the time is healthy."

"You have cookies, potato chips, movie theater popcorn, and I'm guessing you'll be getting ice cream too… So, exactly how many weekends are you buying for?"

Blaine turned, keeping one hand on the cart handle and placing the other on his hip. He made a pouty face at Kurt. "But, I _need_ my Pop-Tarts!"

Kurt placed both hands on his hips, taking in Blaine's face for a moment before replying. "How about a compromise? You can get the Strawberry Pop-Tarts without icing."

Blaine's mouth dropped as he put his hand over his heart in semi-mock horror. "That is not a compromise. That is hell."

Kurt sighed. "Fine. Strawberry Pop-Tarts with icing, but the low-fat kind… And you skip the ice cream."

Blaine groaned, turning back to the Pop-Tarts. He found the one's Kurt had told him to get and picked them up, dropping them into the cart as though he didn't care about them at all.

"Happy?" He asked, turning back to Kurt.

Kurt smiled. "Very."

Kurt began walking again, a little strut in his step after what he considered winning the argument.

"You know," Blaine said, joining him a moment later. "None of my other friends ever cared what I bought when they came with me… They encouraged it, actually."

"Well, you can thank me when you're forty and still breathing."

Blaine sighed. "Maybe," He replied, holding on to his dramatic behavior for a few seconds longer.

Kurt laughed as they headed toward the check-out. It occurred to them as they were placing everything on the conveyor belt that he had totally overstepped his boundaries with the whole Pop-Tart thing. He had no right to tell Blaine what he could or couldn't buy. This was there first time ever even doing anything together, for crying out loud!

Blaine had every right to tell him to lay off, that it was none of his business… but, he didn't. He didn't even seem to care about it anymore. He was already talking and laughing like nothing.

_'It's almost like we were an old, bickering coup- No! No, Kurt, don't even go there, you weirdo!'_

They finished checking out and headed back to the car.

"So, where to now?" Kurt asked, although he had already guessed.

Blaine smiled, looking at Kurt with wide eyes. "Now, to the Anderson household."

* * *

><p><strong>Wanted a little lighter chapter cause I seem to have been making most of you cry lately. :) I hope this one made you smile a little bit.<strong>

**Thanks so much for all the reviews! I can't believe I'm already almost to one hundred! I am so thankful for every alert and favorite, but the reviews are just amazing because then I actually know what you guys are thinking... Sorry, I'm just blabbing now! **

**More to come! Thanks again :)**


	7. Meds

_"She's not coming home."_

Kurt was a little shocked when they reached Blaine's house. More by how gorgeous it was than by the size of it. He had already expected it to be big, but he didn't think it would look so… _perfect_.

The grass was a beautiful green, and looked freshly mowed. It was obvious the yard had been professionally done by landscapers. Roses and tulips, which Kurt didn't think could go together so well, were placed in perfect spots, making the yard very colorful.

There was an oak tree out front, with a swing hanging down from it. Not a child's swing, but a nice one that could fit two people on it.

The house itself was white, with black trim and a red door. It looked as though it had just been painted.

He was taken out of his thoughts when the car turned off and the air conditioner stopped blowing on his face.

"After we carry in, if you wanna unpack while I put stuff away, we could probably get done faster that way," Blaine said.

Kurt nodded. "Sounds good."

They carried the groceries to the door, then Blaine set his down so he could get his key and unlock it, and they went inside.

Kurt looked around. The floors were all hard wood, and the walls were a comforting cream color. There were paintings on the wall, which looked pretty expensive, and all of the furniture Kurt passed on his way to the kitchen looked brand new.

"Your house is beautiful," Kurt said as he set the groceries down on the counter.

"Thank you," Blaine replied. "It all seems a little _too_ perfect for my taste, but my parents like it."

"It's very elegant."

"It looks like no one's ever sat on the couch. I swear, we do though."

"You just put a tarp down first?" Kurt asked with a sly smile.

"Ouch, that hurt," Blaine replied with a over-dramatic look of pain on his face.

Kurt laughed. "You started it. I said I _liked_ the house."

"How about we go back to where I said "thank you" and leave it there?"

"Good idea."

* * *

><p>The unpacked and put away the groceries in a comfortable silence, then Blaine offered to make lunch.<p>

"I swear it'll be healthy," He said, doing the scout's honor sign with his fingers.

Kurt laughed. "I trust you… Um, do you mind if I used the restroom?"

Blaine sucked in a breath as he went to the fridge to start start getting out what he needed. "Oh, I don't know, I might prefer if you just held it in."

He looked back at Kurt with a smirk on his face. Kurt had his hands on his hips, giving Blaine a mock-glare.

"Upstairs, third door on the left."

Kurt smiled. "Thank you very much."

* * *

><p>Once he had washed his hands he went to leave out, but something stopped him. The medicine cabinet was cracked open and Kurt could see some pill bottles in there.<p>

He opened the cabinet a little more and saw that there were also vitamins.

The pills were prescribed to Blaine… At least the ones he could see the name on were.

He got out his phone to take a picture of one of the pill bottles. He knew he wouldn't be able to remember the name Cylosporin A until he could go home and look it up.

Not wanting to be gone for too long, he quickly took the picture and headed out of the bathroom.

* * *

><p>When he got back to the kitchen, Blaine was busy fixing two salads. "Are there any vegetables you don't like, Kurt, cause I'm kinda just putting everything in here?"<p>

"I like anything," Kurt replied, sitting down at the bar, "I'm not picky."

Blaine nodded in reply.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Kurt asked, not wanting to seem rude by just sitting and watching.

"Um, I'm about done, but if you wanna pick whatever dressing you want, they're all in the door of the fridge."

Kurt got up and headed to the fridge. "What kind would you like?"

"Ranch, please… and would you get me a water too? You can pick out whatever drink you want. My fridge is your fridge."

Kurt gasped. "You _own_ the fridge?" He asked in a fake shock as he brought out the dressings and went back for water.

"I purchased what's in it."

"With your _parents_ money."

"Yes, but if it were not for _me_ going to the store to get it, _they_ wouldn't have it, therefore _I_ have rights over it, since _I_ spent time going to get it."

"You know I'm just getting water, right?" Kurt replied, holding up his bottle. "Therefore, none of that even mattered."

Blaine placed a final carrot on one of the salads. "I have to pee," He said, exiting the kitchen and heading upstairs.

Kurt laughed and shook his head.

* * *

><p>They ate lunch at the kitchen table, talking about nothing serious. It was all just funny childhood stories, family reunion mishaps, and Blaine's unfortunate head-on collision with his tenth birthday cake.<p>

"So, you ready to go home yet?" Blaine asked once everything was cleaned up.

"Errand day's already over?" Kurt asked, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"Well, no, but I have to go to my mom's country club and make an appearance. She likes me to come once a month to see her friends. I haven't been this month, so I was gonna go today, but I don't want you to be bored."

"I am anything but bored, Blaine," Kurt replied. It took a moment, then he realized how that sounded. He looked away, hoping Blaine didn't see him blushing.

Blaine smiled. "Okay then, let's go."

* * *

><p>When they got to the country club, Blaine parked but didn't turn off the car.<p>

"Something wrong?" Kurt asked.

Blaine took a deep breath, taking off his seat belt and turning to look at Kurt. "Okay, so, these women… they, they like me… a lot, and, well…"

"Blaine?"

"They always try to set me up with their daughters," He blurted out quickly.

Kurt snorted, quickly covering his mouth to try and hide his laugh, even though it was far too late.

_"Kurt!"_

Kurt calmed himself, but his smile remained. "I'm sorry, I just… Um, do they _know_ you're gay?"

"Yes…" Now Blaine began to laugh, albeit not as hard as Kurt had been. "I'm pretty sure that's why they want me to date their daughters."

"Well, of course, us gay men do exceptionally well with the ladies."

"Of course," Blaine agreed.

"So, are we gonna go in now, cause I really want to see this."

_"Kurt!"_ Blaine moaned again.

_"Blaine!"_ Kurt mocked.

Blaine turned off the car and they headed inside. "She'll be back here," Blaine said, once he had greeted the people at the door.

They walked into a back dining area where about five different groups of women were having gossip sessions with one another.

Blaine led the way to the middle table.

"Hey, mom, ladies," He said, acknowledging everyone. He leaned down and gave his mom a kiss on the cheek.

"Hello, Blaine," They all, except for his mom, replied.

"Hi, sweetie," She said.

"Um, mom, everyone, this is Kurt. Kurt, this is my mom Diane, and her friends, Laura, Jenny, Brianna, Stacey, and Loraine," Blaine introduced, pointing to each woman as he went along.

Kurt took a step forward, standing beside Blaine "Hello," He said politely, giving a small wave to the women.

Diane looked past Blaine and over to Kurt. "Kurt, Blaine's mentioned you before. You go to McKinley, right?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Is that a good school?"

"Um, pretty good. I'm in the glee club there and have some pretty great friends, so, it's okay."

"Well," Diane said, standing up, "I hate to run off like this, but I must use the restroom and get me another drink, since the waiter seems to never be coming back. Please excuse me."

"Sit, boys, sit," Jenny said as Diane left.

Blaine sat where his mom had been, and Kurt took the empty spot next to him.

"So, Blaine..." Loraine began.

Blaine leaned closer to Kurt. "Here we go," He whispered.

Kurt smiled, trying not to laugh.

"My daughter, Jerica… you remember her, right? Pretty brown hair, blue eyes, skin like a doll?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, she's going to be singing in a pageant next week!"

"Really? That's great."

"Yes, so, I was wondering if you'd be able to come over and help her one day. You two could practice, then go out and have some fun; how does that sound?"

"Um, well, I don't know if I have time this week, but I will check and let you know," Blaine replied as politely as he could.

Kurt looked over at him and could see the discomfort on his face. He didn't know if it was the right thing to do, but before he could fully think about it, he reached over and placed a hand on Blaine's leg.

"Honey, could you go get me some water? My throats a little dry."

Blaine's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, then, a moment later, it seemed to hit him. He smiled. "Sure... baby, I'll go get it right now."

Blaine got up and headed over to the bar area. Kurt, staying in character, watched after him as he walked away.

"Isn't he a doll?" He said, turning back to the ladies.

They all looked shocked, to say the least.

"Um, yes," Stacey replied, the first one to find her voice. "Yes, he is… H- How long have you been dating?"

"Oh, we've only gone out a few times. It's all new." He looked back to see if Blaine was on his way over yet, then leaned in closer, laughing inwardly when all the women did the same. "Don't tell him this, but I think he might be the one," He whispered, then leaned back in his chair.

The women gasped softly. None of them looked angry- a little upset, maybe- but they _did_ look like they had just gotten the biggest piece of gossip in history.

Blaine returned, handing Kurt his drink. "There you go, babe," He said, rubbing Kurt's back for a moment once he sat down.

"Thank you so much," Kurt replied, giving him a loving look.

…The women never mentioned their daughters again.

* * *

><p>"I have no idea what you said while I was getting your drink," Blaine said as he pulled into Kurt's driveway, "but, thank you."<p>

"No problem," Kurt replied. "I was afraid I had overstepped my boundaries for a second, but you looked like you wanted them off your back."

"No overstepping done, I promise," Blaine assured him.

"Good." Kurt paused for a second. He knew he should be getting out of the car, but he couldn't yet. "I had a good day today, Blaine," He said, looking over at him. "If you ever need an errand buddy again, I'd be glad to be it."

Blaine gave him a look that Kurt could only only describe as a "puppy dog" face. "Really?.. I'd like that."

Kurt smiled. "Good."

"It's official then," Blaine replied with a nod. "You are my official errand partner."

Kurt laughed. "Well… I, uh, I better go inside," He said, glancing at the clock in the car to see it was a little after four-thirty. His dad wouldn't be home until six, but Kurt didn't want to take chances. "I guess I'll see you next month?"

Blaine swallowed hard, then nodded. "Yeah, I- I guess."

Kurt got out of the car, telling Blaine goodbye as he shut the door.

He walked up to the front door and, as he was getting his key out of his pocket, he got a text. He got out his phone and saw it was from Blaine.

_4:34pm_

_I hope I see you sooner than that though._

Kurt turned back to see that Blaine was still in the driveway, a nervous smile on his face.

Kurt smiled back and nodded at him, then texted him: Good. Me too.

He watched as Blaine received the message and read it. Then, with one last smile and a wave goodbye, Blaine backed up and drove away.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until Kurt headed up to his room that he remembered the fact he never told Blaine the <em>one thing<em> he wanted to tell him today.

It honestly didn't even cross his mind. Not even when he had seen all the pill and vitamin bottles in the bathroom… Which also reminded him that he needed to look up the medication he took a picture of.

He pulled the picture up on his phone, grabbed his computer off of his desk, and plopped down on his bed.

He pulled up Google and typed in Cylosporin A into the search bar.

The first thing that came up was from Wikipedia, titled Ciclosporin, which was apparently a different spelling of the same drug.

While Kurt knew it wasn't the most reliable source for details, it could at least tell him what the drug was for.

He clicked on the site and began to read… In the first sentence, right after it tells all the different spellings for the drug, Kurt read where it is a immunosuppressant drug used in organ transplants to prevent rejection.

To say Kurt's heart was pounding would be a _major_ understatement on how he felt as he read on.

He scrolled down to see where it was most commonly used in cases of heart transplants… and that's when he knew. This was no longer a "maybe he is, maybe he isn't" type situation… This Blaine was definitely the Blaine he had been looking for.

* * *

><p><strong>That was a long one! Phew! It's kind of my apology though because my spring break is this coming up week and I'm going to be gone all week... which means, no updates (well, maybe). I'm going to be visiting my sister at her college so, if I have free time, I will try to write, but no promises.<strong>

**Is is just me, or was there a lot of smiling and laughing in this chapter? Jeez! That's all those two seem to be able to do around each other right now!  
><strong>

**Next chapter we'll have some Blaine POV... It actually might all be Blaine.**

**Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews :) You guys are awesome!**

**Oh, and if anything's wrong with the medicine stuff... Blame Google!**


	8. Heart

_"We got one, but we have to move fast."_

Blaine got home around five-fifteen. He unlocked the front door and went inside, re-locking the door behind him.

He heard his mom in the kitchen, as she always was at this time, so he decided to go there and see her for a little bit.

"Hey, Mom," He said as he sat down at the kitchen bar.

She looked over her shoulder from the sink, "Hi, sweetie. How was your day?"

"Really good. I just dropped Kurt off."

"Did he enjoy errand day?"

"He seemed to. He said he wanted to go again."

She turned off the kitchen sink and carried a pot of water to the stove. "Really? That's a first," She said with a laugh.

"I know," He agreed.

"You know, the ladies told me something _funny_ today after you two left the country club."

Blaine bit his bottom lip, trying to hold in his laugh. "Oh, really? What's that?"

"Well, they asked me about Kurt, who is _apparently_ your boyfriend. I thought that was pretty odd, seeing as you only met him a week ago and you've only gone anywhere with him once… and that was to run errands all day… which I hardly consider a date."

"He's not my boyfriend, Mom."

"Oh, I already figured that one out on my own, _honey_… or, is Kurt the only one allowed to call you that now?"

Blaine sighed. "They told you that too?"

"You know they tell me everything. They were shocked, Blaine… as was I."

"Well, they deserved it. They are constantly trying to set me up with their daughters when they very well know that I'm gay."

"They do that because they like you, Blaine. You should take it as a compliment."

"It get's old, Mom."

Now it was Diane's turn to sigh. "Well, I went along with your little game. I told them the relationship was new so I didn't know much about Kurt, but he seemed like a very nice boy."

Blaine smiled, "See, you didn't even have to lie!"

She rolled her eyes. "So, Blaine, do you like this Kurt, or do you _like_ this Kurt?"

"Mom."

"Don't "Mom" me. Answer the question."

"He's… He's someone who I feel that I will _like_… I definitely regular like him, but I want to get to know him more before I let myself _like_ _like_ him."

Diane nodded, approving of her son's answer.

Just then the door opened again, slamming back closed and hastily (and loudly) locked.

Diane rolled her eyes again. "Hello, Nathan, we're in here."

Nathan came into the kitchen, glaring down at his Blackberry. "I tell you, John is an idiot! There's no other word to describe him but idiot!"

"Good day at work?" Diane asked sarcastically.

"The worst!" He looked to Blaine and pointed a finger at him. "Never work with idiots, Blaine. Never."

"I'll keep that in mind, Dad."

"Nathan, do you think you could stop talking about idiots long enough to give your wife a kiss?"

Nathan let out a breath, calming himself. "Of course, honey, I'm sorry." He walked closer to her, leaning over and kissing her cheek as he did every day after work.

"So, Blaine, how was school today?"

Blaine gave him a _"you've got to be kidding me"_ look. "It's Saturday, Dad."

"Sa- Saturday?" He exclaimed, his eyes widening. "I completely forgot! Diane, honey, I'm going to have to eat dinner in my office tonight, alright?" He said, already backing out of the kitchen.

She sighed inwardly. "I will bring it in when it's ready."

Nathan left out of the room and, by the time he got to his office, Blaine could already hear him on the phone.

"Oh look, just me and you for dinner tonight… _again_," Blaine said, rolling his eyes.

"Come on, Blaine, give your dad a break. You know how hard he works."

"Mom, open your eyes. I'm pretty sure that if I was drowning, dad was the only one who could save me, and he got a business call… he'd take the business call."

Diane put the rest of the noodles into the pot, not bothering to break them apart. She walked over to Blaine. "You know that isn't true, Blaine! Your father loves you and would do anything for you."

"Hm," Was all Blaine replied on the subject. "Do you need any help with dinner?"

Diane sighed. "No. No, I've got it covered."

Blaine nodded. "I'm gonna go up to my room."

"I'll call you down when it's ready."

"M'kay."

* * *

><p>Blaine went upstairs but, as he was heading to his room, he stopped by the bathroom.<p>

He knew the routine perfectly. No one even had to remind him anymore. Different medications and vitamins were taken at different times during the day, all before meals. It would end up being two pills and three vitamins at breakfast, one pill and two vitamins at lunch, and two pills and two vitamins at dinner.

This was his normal.

He got out the pills, laying them on the counter, and filled up the glass of water that was always in the bathroom.

But this time, before taking the pills, he stopped and stared at himself in the bathroom mirror.

After a few minutes, he wasn't sure how many, he raised his right hand and placed it over his heart. He felt it beat for a moment, then deliberately began to breathe faster, forcing his heart to beat faster.

He pressed his hand harder to his chest, feeling the increasing speed.

He stopped breathing fast and returned to normal breaths, feeling as his heartbeat slowed down and returned to normal as well.

He kept his hand there, not being able to take it away just yet.

It always did what it was supposed to do. It always beat faster when he ran, or cried, or was scared, or anytime when his breathing quickened, -or when he saw a beautiful boy who made him feel like he was going to turn into a puddle of goo- but it wasn't his.

_His_ heart was gone. The one inside his body belonged to another person. Another person who was once alive and had a family. That person should still be here… 

There were so many times when he should have died… and a couple of times when he actually did. Sometimes he still felt like he should be dead. That maybe he was _supposed_ to die when he was young. That this heart, this false heart of his, shouldn't be in him at all.

And how selfish was he? So many people could have used this heart. So many people who could have gone on to become doctors, or lawyers, or something that made some sort of major difference.

What did Blaine want to do? Sing.

And he couldn't help but wonder who was the next person on the list? Who was the person who would have gotten this heart if it wasn't for him? Who died because he got this heart?

Blaine was, in a sense, heartless. That's how he felt about it at least.

And that's when he knew it was coming. He had been able to figure out a few years ago when the depression was going to start, but he had yet been able to figure out a way to stop it.

He sighed, looking in the mirror for a moment longer before dropping his hand from his chest, picking up his pills, and swallowing them all down together with a sip of water.

He poured the rest of the water down the sink as his mom called him down to dinner.

He went downstairs, his heart- no, _someone's_ heart that was just inside of him- feeling extremely heavy. It was such a sad feeling when it had felt so good all day.

It was coming. There was no other option. Now all Blaine could do was wait for it to hit… and he knew it would hit hard.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay for some Blaine POV! I've been wanting to do this for a while, but it only seemed to fit here.<strong>

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I'm so glad I got to write some while visiting my sister! Let me know what you think of chapter 8, please and thank you :)**


	9. Fudge

_"Why won't she answer? She should be answering!"_

Kurt started to get worried when he hadn't heard from Blaine in three days.

The day after their errand day, he and Blaine had texted normally. Just little jokes and random things throughout the day. Then, the next day, Blaine would simply reply to Kurt's texts. They were always just short answers. Not even long enough to be considered sentences.

Then, the day after that, nothing. Kurt only texted him twice that day, not wanting to bother, but when the next night arrived and he _still_ hadn't heard anything, he texted him just to ask if he was okay.

After a total of three days and ten "are you okay?" "are you sick?" "are you _alive_?" texts, Kurt knew something was definitely wrong.

Still, he waited a whole other day before going back on his phone, finding his messages with Jeff, and texting him.

2:48pm

Jeff, this is Kurt, aka the spy from McKinley. I was just wondering about Blaine. We've been talking and now, for the past four day, nothing. I'm just worried about him and was wondering if he was okay… or even alive.

**2:54pm**

**You couldn't be forgotten, Kurt!.. Plus, I added your name in my phone when I stole your number… Blaine's just not doing very well right now. He's definitely alive though… I promise.**

Kurt didn't even try not to panic when he read that Blaine wasn't doing very well. He quickly texted Jeff back.

2:55pm

Is he okay? Is he sick? Does he need anything?

**2:57pm**

**Whoa! Calm down, Kurt! He's okay… Well, he will be. He's not sick- well, not in the regular way… Listen, Kurt, I can't really go into details; it's not my story to tell. He'll be okay though.**

Kurt took a deep breath as he read the text. He wasn't exactly sure what it meant, but hearing that Blaine would be okay did make him feel somewhat better.

2:59pm

Okay. Thanks, Jeff.

**3:01pm**

**No problem, Kurt. And listen, don't be a stranger! Blaine shouldn't be the only one who gets a repeat of your presence.**

3:03pm

Maybe I'll drop by one day after school… We can hang out after you Warblers do your thing.

**3:05pm**

**Sounds great! See ya soon. :)**

Kurt put his phone back in his pocket and resumed listening to Mr. Schue talk about music of the eighties. He couldn't help the lingering feelings of sadness for Blaine not feeling well right now. He wished he knew what was wrong and that there was something he could do to help… But, he guessed for know, he'd just have to wait.

* * *

><p>Waiting didn't turn out so well. By Saturday, which was just the day after his text-talk with Jeff, Kurt found himself going on a little errand run of his own, then heading to Blaine's house.<p>

He hesitated before knocking on the door. He could be majorly overstepping here. Something which he did not realize until right now; Literally the last possible second until it was too late… Which it pretty much already was. He was probably already seen coming up to the house; or heard when he shut his car door.

He took a deep breath, fixed the bag on his wrist and straightened his shirt.

He rang the doorbell and, within a matter of two seconds, the door was being answered- which led Kurt to believe he _had_ been spotted earlier.

"Hello," Diane answered, not looking surprised to see Kurt there… Yet another clue to Kurt that he had been previously spotted. "Kurt, isn't it?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I- I was wondering if I could see Blaine," He replied, becoming very nervous. People didn't just show up at other people's houses anymore! "I know I should have called, or, something, but I hadn't heard from him in a while and I was worried and I asked his friend Jeff if he was okay and he said he would be but I was still worried- oh god, I'm rambling. I'm sorry, I'll just-"

"Kurt," Diane interrupted, smiling slightly. "Would you like to come in?"

Kurt was very surprised by this. "If- If that's okay."

Diane nodded, moving to the side so Kurt could come in. She shut the door behind him, then turned to look at him as she spoke. "Jeff was correct, Blaine will be fine. Honestly though, I'm not sure he'd be up for company right now."

Kurt looked down at the ground for a moment before returning his gaze to Diane. "Ma'am, Jeff didn't tell me anything… he said that was up to Blaine to do, but I know something's wrong and it's more than just some cold he'll get over. Blaine helped me when I had a problem. He didn't even know me, but he took time out of his day to talk to me and help me out… I'd like a chance to do the same for him, if I can."

Diane looked as though she were having a discussion with herself in her head. "Okay," She said after a moment of silence. "Okay, you can go up, but I'm not sure he'll want to talk to you. Please don't take it personally if he doesn't."

Kurt took a deep breath. He might have just bit off more than he could chew. "I won't… If he wants me to leave, I'll go, I promise."

She nodded again as she moved past Kurt and headed up the stares. Kurt followed closely behind, wiping his, now very sweaty, hands on his pants.

Diane walked to the door right past the bathroom and knocked quietly three times. Before even waiting for an answer, she opened the door, motioning for Kurt to go on inside.

The room was dark. Very, very dark. And, if not for the light shining in from the hall, Kurt wouldn't have been able to see Blaine lying on his bed, flat on his stomach, with the covers pulled up to his neck.

Once Kurt was in the room, Diane cracked the door and moved away. She usually would have let Blaine know Kurt was there herself, but right now her presence seemed to irritate him, so she figured Kurt might have better luck without her.

"I told you I don't want to eat, Mom," Blaine said in an annoyed tone.

Kurt wasn't even sure it was him speaking at first. He sounded so different from the happy, perky Blaine he knew.

"Are you sure?" Kurt replied, not knowing how else to start- although, in retrospect, "It's not your mom, it's Kurt" might have been better. "I brought Pop-Tarts," He added, holding up the bag.

Blaine's head popped up. He turned over quickly, sitting up and squinting in Kurt's direction. There was only a small stream of light coming in from the cracked door. "Kurt? Wh- What are you doing here?"

"Well, when you suddenly stop texting a person what color you're feeling that day, they begin to worry. I resorted to asking Jeff if you were alive yesterday, and when he informed me that you weren't feeling well, the only thing that came to mind for me to do was _'bring him Pop-Tarts. And not the crappy, low-fat kind. The triple fudge kind.'_"

Blaine just looked at him, his mouth hanging open just slightly, as if he were in awe. "I- I'm sorry I haven't texted the past few days," He said once he found his voice. "I just… Sometimes I go through these fazes where I- I don't have the energy to do anything."

Kurt can tell it's hard for him to explain. Heck, he went from looking tired to absolutely exhausted just during those couple of sentences.

"It's okay," Kurt said, stopping him from going on. "You don't have to explain anything to me, Blaine. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

Blaine took a deep breath, broke his eye contact with Kurt, and looked down at his bed. "I'm so tired," He replied quietly.

"I'll go," Kurt replied, feeling ridiculously sad for Blaine. He just looked so small right now, under the covers, his eyes seemingly feeling so heavy that he could barely keep them open.

"No!" Blaine said quickly, surprising them both. "I mean- I just… You can stay for a while, if you want. It's a pretty long drive from your place to mine. It'd just be a waste of gas to go right back." It was a crappy excuse, Blaine knew that, but it's all he could think of right now.

Kurt took a step closer to the bed. "Sure. Um, where would you like…" His voice trailed off. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Should he sit on the floor? In the chair?

But Blaine started scooting over, clearing one side of the bed. "You can lay here. It's more comfortable than the chair."

Kurt nodded, not trusting his voice. Blaine scooted down, lying on his back with the covers up to his chest.

Kurt set the bag on the floor beside the bed, took off his shoes, and laid on the bed, _over_ the covers.

They were both quiet for almost a full minute, neither of them sure of what to do or say, before Kurt spoke. "You know, I always thought I'd go out on a date with a guy before I went to bed with him."

Blaine snorted. He hadn't laughed in almost a week, and now he was snorting. "Just one date?" He retorted.

Kurt shrugged, "Maybe two."

Now Blaine wasn't sure if he was kidding or not. He looked over at Kurt and Kurt looked over at him. Kurt tried to keep a straight face, but when he saw the face Blaine was making, he couldn't keep it together. "I'm kidding, Blaine. _Kidding_. It'd have to be a long term thing… and I'd probably have him screened first."

Blaine let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Oh, thank God."

Again they were quiet. But, this time, it was Blaine who ended it. "Did I hear something about Pop-Tarts?"

Kurt looked from the ceiling, to Blaine. "I thought you were tired?"

Blaine smiled a small smile. "Sudden burst of energy."

Kurt reached over, brought the Pop-Tarts out of the bag, opened the box, and handed one of the packets to Blaine.

"I've missed you, my sweet babies," Blaine said before kissing the wrapper.

"Would you like me to leave you two alone?" Kurt asked.

Blaine glared over at him. "Don't make jokes. You made me leave these behind. I've been going through withdrawal."

"It's been _one_ _week_, Blaine."

"Doesn't matter. Too long."

He scooted back some so he was sitting up a little, then opened the packet. He took one Pop-Tart out and held it out for Kurt to take.

"Oh, no, no. I'm good."

"When was the last time you had a Pop-Tart, Kurt?" Blaine asked with a sigh.

Kurt thought for a moment. "I was like, seven."

"Oh my God! That's torture, Kurt! Why? Why would you do that to yourself?"

"Because I would like to live long enough to turn gray."

"Overrated," Blaine replied, placing the Pop-Tart closer to Kurt's mouth.

Kurt sighed, snatched the Pop-Tart, and took a bite. "Happy?" He asked as he chewed.

"Tell me how it tastes."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed. "Take a bite and see."

Blaine shook his head. "I want to know what _you_ think?"

"God, you're weird." He paused, finished chewing, and swallowed before answering. "It's delicious, okay? Happy? I will forever be sorry that I kept you from this amazingness."

Blaine grinned. "Apology accepted," He replied, finally taking a bite of his own Pop-Tart.

* * *

><p>Diane stood outside of Blaine's bedroom door. She honestly hadn't meant to eavesdrop. She was just going into the bathroom, to get the dirty towels for the washer, when she heard Blaine laughing.<p>

She thought she had stepped into the twilight zone for a moment. Blaine hadn't laughed in a week, and these spells always lasted at _least_ two weeks. It should have gotten easier by now, but your son going through a depression spell for two weeks every few months never got easier. If anything, it got harder the older he became.

That's why, when she heard him laughing, she just had to go to the door and listen. It was like being deaf your whole life then finally being able to hear.

No one had ever been able to do this before. She's tried every remedy she could think of. She had tried family members, friends of Blaine, anyone she could get to come over, and he always kicked them out, or just fell asleep if they wouldn't leave.

But this kid, this kid that he had only known for a short amount of time, had made him laugh in under thirty minutes of being there.

Diane smiled, tears in her eyes. This Kurt might just be the remedy they've been searching for.

* * *

><p><strong>I was expecting this to just barely hit 1,000 words, then I uploaded it onto Doc Manager, and it was over 2,000 words... Cool! <strong>

**Hope you guys enjoyed it! Thank you for all the lovely reviews :) They mean so much to me!**

**Tumblr: notalone88**

**Twitter: TwistedRPower**


	10. Plans

_"What are we supposed to do?"_

Blaine went to back to school the Wednesday following Kurt's first visit. To most people, that wouldn't seem like a big deal, but to Diane, he had recovered faster than she had ever seen. To her, it was a miracle.

Kurt had returned Sunday afternoon with movies and ice cream. Diane would never admit it, but she _may_ have _almost_ begged him to return as he left the evening before.

And Kurt would never admit it, but he was extremely happy he had been _asked_ to return.

On Monday and Tuesday, after school, Kurt came to the Anderson household and did his homework as Blaine caught up on some of his work that David had dropped off for him.

Monday was the first day he allowed his door to be fully opened to bring in the light from the hall; and on Tuesday, he turned on the lamp beside his bed while he and Kurt worked quietly beside one another.

Blaine never talked about what was wrong with him during those days, and Kurt never asked, although he did have some guess. He had done research all night Saturday after leaving Blaine's and found out that depression was very common amongst those who have had an organ transplant.

Kurt was just glad that his dad was swamped with work right now, and not paying too much attention to what Kurt was doing during the day. He seemed to just figure Kurt was hanging with friends from New Directions… and who was Kurt to say any different?

* * *

><p>A week had passed now since Blaine returned to his normal routine, and everything was how it had been before.<p>

Blaine had gone back to texting Kurt the color he felt that day, and Kurt went back to smiling and shaking his head every time he read it.

Kurt was sitting on his bed, his knees bent up with a Vogue magazine resting on his legs, when his phone began ringing.

_'Who would be calling at this time?'_ Kurt thought as he looked over at the clock on his nightstand. That's when he saw it was just past nine-thirty.

He rolled his eyes and picked up his phone. "I have no life," He mumbled to himself as he answered, not bothering to look at who it was. "Hello."

"Kurt, hi!" Blaine's perky voice replied. Kurt appreciated that voice even more now, not realizing how much he loved it until he went so many days without it.

"Hey! How are you feeling?"

Blaine laughed. "Are you ever going to stop asking me that question?"

"I will when you stop asking me how school's going."

"Touche. But, now I have nothing to follow up with my "Kurt, hi!""

"It's okay, I think we're past that anyway."

"Alright then, I'll get right to the point."

Kurt sighed dramatically. "So, you mean you didn't call me just to talk?" He sniffed. "I'm saddened."

"I'm very sorry, Kurt, but unfortunately I have a reason to call this time."

"Okay, well, I guess I'll get over it."

"I hope so," Blaine replied. Kurt could hear the smile in the way he spoke.

Blaine took a deep breath and continued. "I wanted to talk to you… in person. I want to tell you about… _everything_."

He didn't have to elaborate. Kurt knew what he meant. "Blaine, you really don't have to."

"I know I don't _have_ to, but I _want_ to. All of my close friends know, and you're one of my closest friends… I want you to know. You _deserve_ to know."

Kurt nodded, even though Blaine couldn't see him. "Okay. Um, when?"

"Is tomorrow evening okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Okay, then tomorrow around seven. Do you know that place called Italian Grille? It's kind of smack dab in-between where we both live."

"Yeah, I've been there a couple of times."

"Then there, tomorrow, at seven."

"I'll be there."

Blaine sighed in relief. "Okay. Thank you, Kurt."

"You don't have to thank me, Blaine. We're friends…"

"I know, but, just... thank you."

"You're welcome."

They said their goodbyes and hung up, then Kurt immediately jumped up from his bed and went to his closet.

He knew it wasn't a date. He _totally_ knew that… but that didn't stop him from spending the next two hours going through every article of clothing he owned. It didn't matter that it wasn't a date. He still needed to look presentable. He would have done this no matter who he was going out to dinner with… At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

* * *

><p>The next evening, Kurt, all dressed and ready to go, came downstairs to tell Burt he was going out tonight. He kept putting it off because he knew his dad would ask questions this time, and he couldn't keep Burt completely in the dark about having a new friend from a different school.<p>

"Dad, I'm going out tonight," He said as he walked into the kitchen. This was usually their family dinner nights, but Carole had to work so they had it the previous night.

"Where?" Burt asked as he fixed himself a bowl of cereal.

"Italian Grille."

"With who? Rachel and Mercedes?" He guessed, knowing that was the usual answer.

"No, with someone else. You don't know him."

Burt's eyebrows raised as he turned to look at his son. "_Him_?"

Kurt sighed. "It's not like that, Dad. He's a friend."

Finn walked into the kitchen to get him something to eat as Burt continued.

"What's his name?"

Kurt hoped that Burt didn't remember Blaine's name from the envelope so many years ago. He had said he hadn't looked at the envelope since receiving it. Kurt just hoped that was true.

"Blaine. His name's Blaine."

"Does he go to McKinley?"

"Jeez, Dad, why all the questions?"

"Because you're going out to eat, at _Italian Grille_, with a new _guy_ _friend_ that I don't know."

"I already said it's not like that."

"Does he go to McKinley?" Burt repeated.

"Ugh! No, he doesn't."

"Where'd you meet him?"

"A chat room online, Dad. His screen name is childlover slash thegayerthebetter69. I've never seen him before, but he says he'll take good care of me."

Burt picked his cereal bowl up and walked to the table. "I'm serious, Kurt."

"He's from Dalton."

"Dalton? How'd you meet a kid from Dalton?"

And this is where Kurt had nothing.

"Well, uh-"

"We had mixer-," Finn interrupted from where he was fixing his microwavable Easy Mac, "type thing. That's what you call them, isn't it?"

"Um… Yeah," Kurt replied, both confused and relieved.

"Yeah, Mr. Schue wanted us to get together with some of our future competition so there wouldn't be a jealousy thing."

Kurt would now be forever grateful that Finn had taken an interest in learning all that he could about Blaine. He and Kurt had many late night talks ever since that day Kurt had skipped school to go to Dalton.

"Oh, he's in Dalton's glee club?" Burt asked, looking back and forth from Kurt to Finn.

"Yes," Kurt answered. "Yes, he is. And he's just a friend. That's it."

Burt nodded. "Okay, the interrogation is over. Have fun, kid."

Kurt smiled, "Thank you, Dad," He said as he walked over to him and gave him a hug. He looked up at Finn and mouthed a "thank you" to which Finn nodded and smiled in reply.

* * *

><p>Kurt got to the restaurant a couple of minutes early. He didn't see Blaine's car so he decided to go sit on the bench outside of the place, instead of going inside.<p>

It was a fairly cool evening, but Kurt wasn't sure if the chills he felt was from the wind or from the fact Blaine was just about to tell him this huge thing which he already knew. He kind of felt horrible about that fact. It was like he had two little Kurt's on his shoulders, one telling him to just come on out with the truth, and the other saying it was already too late.

"Hey, you could have gone inside," A familiar voice said cheerily.

Kurt looked up to see Blaine walking toward him, a smile on his face.

Kurt stood, smiling back at him. "I wanted to wait out here. It's a nice night."

Blaine nodded. "Yes, it is. We could sit outside if you wanted, although I kinda have this thing about dirt getting in my food."

"No, no, inside is fine… I kinda have the same… _thing_."

They were seated in a booth near the back by a nice young greeter who couldn't seem to wipe the grin off of her face when she saw them. It was one of those they-are-such-an-adorable-couple grins, of which both Kurt and Blaine simply chose to ignore.

Kurt couldn't help but notice how good Blaine looked. He was wearing a black, long-sleeve, button down shirt and dark blue jeans. His hair was slicked back and, God, his smile was just…

Kurt shook the thoughts from his mind. He should not be thinking of Blaine this way. Especially not right now.

But, still, he hoped his blue and white striped, quarter sleeve shirt, dark blue jeans, and black boots looked okay.

They ordered their drinks and looked over their menus as they talked lightly. Kurt filled Blaine in on some of the ridiculous things happening in glee club, and Blaine informed Kurt that all of the Warblers want to see him again… even the ones who didn't see him the first time. Apparently, Jeff enjoyed having a friend outside of Dalton and liked to tell everyone about it.

* * *

><p>A few minutes passed and the waitress came by and took their orders.<p>

Once they were alone again, Blaine took a deep breath.

"Okay," He said, looking over at Kurt, "I don't really know how to lead into into this, so, I'll, um…"

"Blaine," Kurt said soothingly, knowing Blaine was nervous. "It's okay. If you don't feel like telling me, I understand."

"No, no, I want to. It's just," He rubbed at the back of his neck, "It's a long story…"

Kurt smiled sweetly, reaching across the table and giving Blaine's other hand a gentle squeeze. "I've got the time."

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know, I'm horrible! Let me explain! The chapter would have been WAY too long if I would have kept going. Plus, I think a story like Blaine's deserves a chapter of it's own! (Please don't kill me).<strong>

**Thank you guys so much for all the reviews! I received more for the last chapter than for any other. It means so much to me! **

**And, I didn't use Breadstix because, well, everyone uses Breadstix, and I'm so sick of that place! I feel like I've been eating there every day since I joined the fandom!  
><strong>

**Tumblr: notalone88 (C'mon guys, I recently posted a picture of my ankle! Who doesn't wanna see that?)**

**Twitter: TwistedRPower**

**Oh! (and I'm sorry this A/N is so long). Someone asked me if the first sentence of the last chapter was supposed to say "he" instead of "she" (can't reply cause you weren't signed in), and the answer is no. The first sentence of every chapter is in italics for a reason. It's a flashback.**


	11. Story

**I'd like to say here and now that, if _any_ info is wrong in this chapter, blame Google, MedMD, and any other heart disease and/or heart transplant website out there. Thank you.**

* * *

><p><em>"If you can't hold on, I understand, and it's okay to let go."<em>

Blaine cleared his throat before he began. "Well, I guess it started when I was around two. My mom told me that one day, when she was getting me dressed, she noticed a bluish tint on my skin. It freaked her out cause she only knew of people turning blue when they were dying or already dead.

"She rushed me to the hospital, demanding the doctors see me immediately, even though the whole time I was talking to her and asking her what was wrong." Blaine laughed, "I don't even remember that, but she told me that I kept trying to calm her down.

"Anyway, this doctor took me back and ran some tests and, after many hours of being there, they found I had a heart valve defect. One valve was narrow and wasn't allowing proper blood flow to my heart.

"Apparently they didn't make too big of a deal out of it. They gave my mom some meds and told her it should fix itself fairly quickly."

"I'm guessing it didn't," Kurt replied as Blaine paused to take a sip of his drink.

"Correct. The medication did nothing. Well, the blue tint went away for a while, but nothing was really better. Slowly I began to lose weight. I hardly ever wanted to play and, when I _would_ play, I get out of breath really fast.

"My mom was worried, so she made an appointment with my doctor. But, two days before that appointment, she came to wake me up and I was blue again.

"She, once again, rushed me to the hospital, and this time my doctor met us there. He ran more tests and, sure enough, the valve was no longer narrow, but completely closed. He told my mom that I needed surgery and she completely freaked. From what she told me, she called my dad and he had to leave work to come to the hospital. When he got there, she passed out.

"Fast forwarding a bit, we were sent to The Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus. They supposedly have one of the best heart centers around.

"They did the first surgery without any problems. They said everything looked good and I should be able to go home in a couple of weeks. I was so little that they didn't want to send me home too early.

"I went downhill pretty fast from there though. Within a couple of days I was getting sick. I had pneumonia and they were afraid I wasn't going to make it. I ended up staying at the hospital for a month."

Kurt's heart had begun racing when he heard the name of the hospital. It was the same one he and his dad had to drive to on that one horrible night many years ago.

"Things were okay for over a year. My checkups were all clear and it seemed like I was going to be able to be a pretty normal kid… Then one night, I was about four and a half I guess, I woke up and my heart was pounding. Not just the racing feeling that people get sometimes; it was like someone was hitting my heart with a hammer. I rushed to my mom's room, she woke up my dad and brother, and we all headed to the hospital. The valve had completely closed again, along with another one. I was in surgery two hours later.

"The next few years were pretty much the same. I had to have surgery again at seven, then another time at eight. Nothing seemed to be working. I was always tired and sick and I was in the hospital more than I was at home. My mom and I pretty much turned into permanent residence at OSU Medical Center. We got an apartment in Columbus and my dad would come visit on the weekends, when he didn't have to work.

"My doctor in Columbus talked to my mom after one particularly bad hospital stay and, after deciding their was honestly no other options left, I was put on the list for a heart transplant. I remember my mom explaining to me what a heart transplant was and…" He paused, shaking his head, "there's nothing harder than an eight year old trying to wrap their head around the fact that someone else's heart would be inside of them. The fact that I was basically dying was easier for me to comprehend."

A tear fell from Kurt's eye. He quickly wiped it away, glad that Blaine was looking down at the table.

"Anyway," Blaine continued, placing his hands on the table to play with the straw wrapper, "a year went by, I got gradually worse, and to be blunt, the right person just wasn't dying for me." He looked up at Kurt, who had a surprised expression on his face.

Blaine couldn't help but laugh. "I know it sounds awful, but it's something I started saying to my doctor to lighten the mood when he'd come into the room and say that there was, once again, no change, and they still didn't have a heart for me.

"A few months later, during what would probably have been my _last_ hospital stay- and my mom told me most of this later on, so it might not all be completely accurate- a woman came into the hospital. Apparently she had been in a car accident. It was… it was bad. She was a donor though, and that's all that mattered. I wasn't even at the top of the list, but my doctor pulled all kinds of strings- apparently really quickly too- and then he was running into the room… This part I remember. He told us there was a donor, but we had to hurry. He-" Blaine looked directly into Kurt's eyes, which were filled with unshed tears, before looking away again. He couldn't seem to keep his eyes on Kurt as he told him his story. Maybe he was afraid of rejection after he was finished; that Kurt wouldn't want to talk to someone who wasn't a full person.

There honestly shouldn't be a "maybe" in that sentence, because that was _definitely_ what he was worried about.

"He knew I wasn't going to last very much longer. Um, my," He cleared his throat, shifting to sit up straighter in the booth, "my mom had given me the whole "it's okay if you need to let go" speech, and I was just about to take that advice when the doctor came in. I was wheeled into surgery so fast I don't even think I realized what was happening until it was all over."

Kurt took a deep breath. "So… So, you were there? You- You were already at the hospital that night?" He knew that's what Blaine had said, but he just needed clarification. It was like everything was getting thrown at him so quickly that it was difficult for his head to wrap around it all.

"Yeah, I was in room three twenty-three." He laughed, "I don't think I'll ever forget that room number…

"After the surgery, I spent about a month in the hospital. The usual recovery time is around two weeks, but my doctor had become like a second father to me and was adamant that I stay longer just so he could watch over me easily.

"After a lot of rehab and many visits to the hospital for checkups, I finally got to go home- to Westerville- ten months later. It would have been sooner, but we had a lease on the apartment we rented, and my mom felt more comfortable being near the OSU Medical Center. She was terrified when we went home, even though there were and are perfectly capable doctors here to do my checkups.

"When we got home, there was a letter in the mail from the husband of the person's heart I got. I can not for the life of me remember his name, I think it's something I blocked when the depression stuff started, but I know I wrote him a letter back. I expected to hear back from him, but never did… That might have been a good thing though."

Kurt was freaking out on the inside. The term "emotional rollercoaster" wasn't even accurate enough to describe every feeling he was currently feeling. It was all so overwhelming. His heart was pounding in his ears, he felt tears in his eyes, he didn't know whether to start apologizing to Blaine and come out with the truth, or just shut up and take it… He decided on the latter, but he wasn't sure that was a good decision.

Blaine let out a sigh. "And I just realized I told you a lot of stuff that you probably didn't need to know-"

Kurt cut him off, "No, I- I wanted to know. Please, keep going." His voice was soft, as he was on the verge of crying his eyes out, but he knew he needed to stay strong.

"Well, now we're at the point where you learn what the heck was wrong with me few weeks ago… My- My first battle with depression happened exactly one year, to the day, after my transplant. We had driven back to Columbus for a checkup, then my parents, brother, and I were going to go out to dinner.

"The doctor I had, which was _not_ the one who had become like a father to me, made a comment that just-" He shook his head, "it messed me up. We had finished the tests and he came in with the results and said_ "looks like her heart is working out for you."_ It was such a simple sentence. He didn't even mean anything by it, but that's when it hit me. I mean, it was like I had just been struck by a semi or something. It- It made me realize that this heart," He pointed to his chest, "this isn't mine. It's some other person's, and I took it from them. Like I'm borrowing it or something. I didn't understand back then that, if they could put the heart in me and make me better, then why couldn't they just fix it for the woman who had it before? I get it now, but I still feel so, extremely guilty sometimes. I feel like, like someone else should have it instead of me."

"No," Kurt said quickly, before he even realized what he was saying.

Blaine's eyebrows furrowed, so Kurt continued.

"If you didn't have that heart, you wouldn't be here today. Just in the small amount of time I've known you, you've helped me so much, Blaine. You've become one of my closest friends. I know I can tell you anything and you'd never judge me and you'd always be there."

Both of their eyes are now filled with tears, but this time neither cares to let them fall.

"I'm glad I'm here too," Blaine said, a couple of tears tracking their way down his cheeks. "Sometimes I just can't help but get depressed though. But it's moments… moments like _this_ where- where I'm glad I'm alive."

They just stare into each others eyes for a while. Until someone coughed at another table and brought them out of their trance.

Kurt looks down and noticed their food is in front of them. "When did this get here?" He asked, making Blaine look down as well.

"No idea," He replied, laughing lightly.

They both wipe the tears from their faces and Blaine lets out a loud breath. "Okay, enough of the sad talk. The food is here, it's-" He put his finger on it to check, "still warm, and it looks way too good to cry into it instead of eat."

"I agree," Kurt said with a nod, forcing away all of his thoughts that were trying to plague his mind. He had time to think about this conversation later. Right now, he just wanted to be a normal teenager, having dinner with a friend.

* * *

><p><strong>So. Many. Words! ARGHHH! But, after lots of research (that better be at least 90% accurate), a major headache, dealing with stupid partners for a sociology project, and still being sane enough after Easter with the family, the chapter is finished! *Celebrates*<strong>

**Oh, also, the 6th was my two year FF anniversary :D YAY! I can't believe it's been so long! **

**Two last things: I'm giving my first presentation on Thursday (goes with the stupid sociology partners), so if anyone wants to give me a pep talk, I'd greatly appreciate it. I hate public speaking! AND, tomorrow's GLEE! I'm so excited! If anyone wants to discuss the episode after, I'd love to! ;) Either on here, tumblr, or Twitter.**

**Tumblr: notalone88**

**Twitter: TwistedRPower**


	12. Pace

_"I'll always take care of him."_

After they ate their dinner, the check came, and Blaine insisted on paying. He told Kurt that it was his way of saying "thank you" for sitting through his life story. When that didn't work, he said he'd just get sad if Kurt didn't let him pay. And when that didn't work, he used his puppy dog eyes… Blaine paid for dinner.

"Thank you, Blaine," Kurt said as they made their way to their cars.

"For what? Dinner? I told you, Kurt, that was my way of thanking you."

"No, not for dinner, although I am grateful for that too. I- I mean thank you for trusting me enough to tell me your story. I know that had to take a lot of strength and I… Just, thank you."

Blaine smiled. "You're the first person I ever told so quickly. I knew the guys at Dalton for over a year before I told them, but… but you're different."

They stopped when they reached Kurt's car, as Blaine's was a little farther away.

Kurt turned to Blaine, about to ask what he meant, when Blaine opened his mouth. However, before saying anything, he quickly shut it back.

"What is it?" Kurt asked, his eyebrows furrowed at the suddenly serious look on Blaine's face.

"I- I just… I've never done this before," He mumbled, looking down at the ground for a moment.

"Done what?"

Blaine wiped his sweaty hands on his pants, hoping Kurt didn't see it, as he looked back up.

Kurt did see it, however, and thought he looked absolutely adorable.

"I- I really like you, Kurt, and I've never… I've never met anyone like you before, and I really like being with you."

He looked away as he finished, feeling like an idiot.

Kurt smiled. "I really like being with you too."

Blaine's head popped back up, and he looked so surprised that Kurt had to try very hard to hold back the laugh that was threatening to escape him.

"You do?"

"Yes, I do."

Blaine let out a deep breath. "Oh, thank God. This makes the next part a little easier."

Kurt raised an eyebrow in question.

"Kurt, I would- I would like to go out again, but… but on a date." He rushed out the last part, desperate to get through it. He couldn't believe just how nervous he was.

"Hmm… I'm not sure."

Blaine's face fell. He quickly looked away from Kurt. "Oh, I- I'm sorry. That was way out of line, wasn't it? I should- I should just-"

"Blaine," Kurt cut him off, placing his hands on his shoulders, "You don't really get sarcasm, do you?"

"What? Oh, I- I honestly didn't even hear what you said, I just started freaking out."

Kurt smiled. "Blaine, I would love to go out on a date with you… as long as I can pay."

"Are… Are you… Really?"

"Yes, really."

Blaine smiled widely. "That's great!" He said excitedly… a little _too_ excitedly, he realized afterward. He cleared his throat. "I mean, um… I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say now."

Kurt laughed. "How about "I'll call you tomorrow?""

"Yes, that sounds good," Blaine replied with a nod, finally loosening up a bit. "I will call you tomorrow and we can decide when and where we'll go."

"Sounds like a plan."

Blaine moved forward and, for a moment, Kurt thought he was going to kiss him. He tensed a bit, but Blaine simply wrapped his arms around Kurt, giving him a hug. Kurt relaxed and hugged back.

"I had a good time tonight," Blaine said as they hugged.

"Even with all the crying?" Kurt asked.

Blaine laughed, "Even with all the crying," He replied.

They pulled back from one another.

"Text me when you get home," Blaine said, backing away to go to his car.

"You too."

Blaine nodded, then turned around, unable to keep the smile off of his face.

Kurt got into his car, also extremely happy. It wasn't until he turned on his car and was about to leave that he realized who he had just agreed to go on a date with, and how bad of an idea that was. Blaine had just trusted him with this huge thing. He said it right to Kurt! He had never told anyone his story so soon after meeting them. All Kurt had done was misuse every ounce of trust Blaine had in him.

The guilt suddenly felt overwhelming. Why hadn't he thought of this sooner? Why hadn't he stopped Blaine before he asked him on a date? Why had he said yes to the date? Why? Why? _Why?_

Kurt took a deep breath. He needed to get home. _Now!_ He couldn't let the tears or anger take over him until he got home. He needed to talk to someone… and there was only one person who knew the story enough to help. Kurt just hoped he actually could.

* * *

><p>When Kurt got home, he quickly texted Blaine to let him know, then hurried inside and headed straight for Finn's room. He didn't even knock; he simply opened the door, stepped inside, and shut it behind him. "I need to talk to you," He said, his voice shaky.<p>

"Rachel, I'm gonna have to go," Finn said, cutting off her rant about something- he had checked out of the conversation a few minutes back.

She went to protest, but he hung up. Knowing where Kurt had been tonight, and the look on his face now, didn't give Finn a good feeling. "What happened?" He asked, sitting up so his legs went over the side of the bed.

Kurt immediately began to pace back and forth. "He told me everything. His whole story. He has her heart, Finn. He has my mom's heart, and I already knew that, but he doesn't know that I knew, and he trusted me with his whole life story- which, I found out, is something he doesn't ever do so quickly- and by the time we left, he was asking me out on an actual date and I said yes because I really, really like him and I didn't even think about his heart, or my mom when he asked, I just got happy and said yes and-"

He stopped both pacing and speaking when he turned and Finn was blocking his path. "Kurt, you've gotta take a breath sometime or your gonna pass out." He put a hand on Kurt's shoulder and led him to the bed. Kurt sat down where Finn had been sitting before, and Finn sat next to him.

"I don't deserve a breath, Finn! I _really_ screwed up! None of this was supposed to happen," Kurt continued as he stared straight ahead. "I just wanted to meet him, tell him my story, ask him if he was _the_ Blaine Anderson, and hope that we could keep in contact or just talk for a while or something. I wasn't supposed to think he was cute, or that he was really sweet and caring, or that I really, _really_ wanted to go on a date with him. He wasn't supposed to like me that way. No one's ever liked me that way. Why would he? And now I feel like it's way, _way_ too late to be honest with him because he already trusted me with his story and I've broke that trust without him knowing that I have but I was just scared, and now it's too late!"

Kurt finally looked over at Finn, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "Wow. That was… a lot to take in." He shifted, moving one leg so it was bent on the bed and the other still hanging off of it, so he could face Kurt a little better. "He told you about the heart transplant?"

Kurt nodded.

"Okay, but you already knew about that, and now you feel bad because he doesn't know you know?"

Nod.

"And now Blaine likes you as more than a friend, and you think you like him that way too, and not just because he has your mom's heart?"

Nod.

"Wow… That is some predicament."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed Finn's usage of a very unFinn-like word.

"Oh, Rachel used it today," Finn replied with a smile.

"Of course."

"Anyway, Kurt," Finn said, getting back to the point, "I don't see how you can have any type of relationship with Blaine without being honest with him. Even friendship. What you're keeping from him is not some little secret, like how I keep from Rachel that I don't listen to what she says half the time. If you want to be his friend, or boyfriend, or whatever, you need to be honest with him."

Kurt took a deep breath. "I know. I know, you're right… But- but what if he hates me?"

"Well, I mean, if it was me, I would be upset. But I would be even _more_ upset if I found out _after_ I started dating you. I mean, what if you really hit it off and wind up married someday? You can't keep this a secret forever, because you know, deep down, the truth will come out eventually. That's why you need to tell him now. Just be completely honest with him. Tell him that when you accepted the date offer, it wasn't because of your mom, or any other reason except that you like him."

"My god, Finn, when did you become smarter than me?"

"I don't know, but I kinda like it."

Kurt laughed, which was what Finn was hoping to achieve. He hated seeing his brother upset. "Hey, why don't we watch a movie or somethin'?" He asked, hoping that would keep Kurt's mind off of his problems for a little longer.

"Don't you need to call Rachel back?"

"Nah, she'll be grumpy with me for hanging up on her anyway. It's better if I wait until tomorrow."

"Alright, well, I'm gonna change first, then we'll watch something. You pick."

Both Kurt and Finn got up, Kurt heading to his room, and Finn going downstairs to look through all the movies.

* * *

><p>Kurt went into his room and closed the door. He kicked off his boots, but before changing out of the rest of his clothes, he made his way over to his desk. He opened the top drawer and pulled out the pink card. He looked over the front for a moment before moving to his bed and lying down.<p>

He opened the card and began to read it.

_Hello, Hummels. My mommy told me that your wife and mommy gave me a new heart. I know you are sad that you lost her, but I am so happy with my heart. I have to take medicine every day to make sure the heart stays safe, but I don't mind. Since I know you miss her heart, I wanted to give you this one._

Kurt traced his finger over the large heart drawn underneath the writing. He smiled at all the tiny hearts inside of it, then read on.

_Thank you for giving me her heart. I promise I will take good care of it._

Unshed tears were pooled in Kurt's eyes. He couldn't believe all that had happened since he first read that card.

He didn't know how long he stared at it, reading it over and over again. The next thing he knew, Finn was calling his name, asking if he was ready yet.

He put the card on his nightstand, then got up to change, deciding right then that the next time he talked to Blaine in person, he would tell him the truth.

* * *

><p><strong>I know Blaine seemed really nervous when asking Kurt out, but there's a reason behind it. So, if it seemed OOC for you (even for this au Blaine), just bare with me.<strong>

**Thank you guys so much for all the incredible reviews! You have no idea how much it means to me!**

**Tumblr: notalone88 (sometimes I post little In a Heartbeat snippets before it's on here).**

**Twitter: TwistedRPower**


	13. Truth

_"I don't even know what I'm supposed to do."_

So, maybe Kurt wasn't thinking clearly when he decided that the next time he saw Blaine in person he'd tell him the truth, because the next time he saw Blaine, it was for their date.

Yes, Kurt probably _should_ have asked if they could talk somewhere _before_ the date, but when Blaine had called the next day and they had made their plans, all Kurt could find himself doing was agreeing to them.

They had decided that Blaine would pick Kurt up, they'd go to Ocean Grille for dinner- Kurt's choice; he informed Blaine that even though they lacked an ocean in Ohio, the food was still amazing-, then Blaine chose a walk through the park for their after dinner activities, and finally he'd drive Kurt back home, making sure to have him back at a reasonable hour.

Kurt had been so ready to ask him if they could go out one day to talk before the day of the date, but when he heard Blaine's voice he just melted because Blaine seemed to happy. He remembered sad-Blaine and he didn't like sad-Blaine and he didn't want to be responsible for sad-Blaine.

* * *

><p>Then, it was date night. And it was perfect. There were no awkward pauses during dinner. There were no disagreements about anything. They were, it seemed, a perfect fit.<p>

They did have some differences, but even their differences mixed well. Blaine was a little more hyper than Kurt when it came to preforming. He liked preforming the top one hundred, pop type of songs while Kurt preferred the slower, Broadway numbers, but they both loved _The Beatles_. They both enjoyed shopping, but Kurt was more of a clothes person and Blaine liked looking at accessories. They found that odd seeing as Kurt wore and had many more accessories than Blaine.

They both liked bow ties, had a strange obsession with _TruTV_, wanted to find _Wonderland_ when they were younger, and still watch _The Magic School Bus_ when reruns come on the television.

The date honestly couldn't have gone better.

* * *

><p>By the time they got back to Kurt's, it was just after nine thirty. Kurt hadn't told Burt about the date, and was glad that he and Carole were going to a late movie and wouldn't be home for at least another hour.<p>

Before Kurt could tell Blaine he had a great time, Blaine turned off the car and opened his door to get out. Kurt, confused, follows suit.

"What are you doing?" He asked as they met around the front of the car.

"Walking you to your door, silly," Blaine replied with a smile.

Kurt smiled back and they began their walk up the driveway. "You didn't have to walk me to the door," He said shyly.

"I wanted to… Plus, now I expect you to do the same when you pick me up for another date."

"Oh, really?" Kurt said, raising an eyebrow.

"Mhm," Blaine replied, then his face went serious. "That is, I mean, if you wanted to go out again. Cause, I had a great time, but if you didn't then-"

"Blaine," Kurt cut him off as they reached the door. "Relax. I had a great time and would love to go again."

Blaine's serious face slowly turned into a small smile and, for a moment, they just stared at each other.

"Kurt?" Blaine said, his cheeks blushing a little bit.

"Yeah?"

"C- Can I- I mean, I… I really want…" He paused and took a deep breath. "Can I kiss you?"

Kurt wasn't sure how he didn't pass out. He had been hoping Blaine would ask, but didn't ever think it would happen. "Yes," He said, his voice just barely above a whisper.

Blaine took another deep breath as he leaned in, placed a hand on Kurt's cheek, and kissed him gently. After a moment, Kurt pressed their lips closer together. A few seconds later, they both pulled back, albeit reluctantly, in need of air.

They both seem to become shy at the same time, breaking eye contact and cheesy smiles on both of their red faces.

Kurt bit at his bottom lip, as though he couldn't believe what had just happened, before clearing his throat and looking back up at Blaine. "Would- Would you like to come in?"

Blaine returned his gaze and smiled. "Sure."

After getting the key from his pocket and unlocking the door, they went inside.

"My parents aren't here," Kurt said as he shut the door behind Blaine, "but my step-brother's probably in his room either playing a video game, or talking to his girlfriend."

"You're house is very nice," Blaine said, looking around. "It's homey."

Kurt smiled. "Thank you… Do you wanna go upstairs to my room?"

Blaine turned to face Kurt. "I thought you didn't do that type of thing on the first date, Hummel."

"What? Oh! Oh, god, no! No, I didn't- I just- because I've seen your room and I- I didn't-"

Blaine just smiled. "See, now you know what it feels like to be on the other side. Not so fun to be the one stumbling over the words."

Kurt glared at him. "You're evil."

"Mhm. Lead the way."

Kurt moved around Blaine and headed up the stairs.

Blaine followed a couple of steps behind, looking around at the comfy house. He already preferred this place way over his own.

When they reached Kurt's room, he opened the door and stepped aside, allowing Blaine to enter first.

"I need to use the restroom really quick," Kurt said. "Just look around."

Blaine nodded and Kurt headed down the hall.

He started at Kurt's bookshelf. He knew you could always tell a lot about a person by what they read. It seemed Kurt mainly liked fashion and autobiographies.

He didn't want to be too nosy, so he decided he'd go sit on Kurt's desk chair and wait for him to return. However, on his way, something on the nightstand caught his eye.

He passed the desk and walked over to a card made out of pink construction paper.

He smiled, wondering what little kid made Kurt a card.

He contemplated whether or not he should pick it up for a moment, then decided it would be harmless.

He picked up the card and turned it over to see the front… then regretted it immediately.

There was a certain familiarity to the card and it confused him; gave him an uneasy feeling. He recognized it, but didn't the same time.

That's what made him decide to open it. Second mistake.

If fully realizing the heart wasn't his on the one year anniversary was like a semi hitting him, this was definitely a train- no, this was worse. This was a knife slowly making its way into his back.

He immediately sunk down onto Kurt's bed, becoming light headed.

It was all _too_ familiar now. The construction paper color that he had picked out, the specific crayon colors he had used, the handwriting, the words, the drawing.

"Hummel. Hummel. Hummel." Blaine was repeating without even realizing it. It was all coming back to him now. The name he had blocked for so many years.

This couldn't be. This just could not be happening. It had to be a dream. That's all it was. He was nervous about the date, which was probably happening tomorrow, and his subconscious was just making up something bad that could happen- but it wouldn't! It wouldn't happen, because that would be insane.

A soft gasp from the doorway broke him from his trance. He looked up from the card and over to the door, where Kurt was standing with wide eyes.

This wasn't a dream. This wasn't his subconscious. This was happening.

"Kurt," Blaine said, his voice far too soft. It almost sounded broken. "Please, _please_ tell me this isn't what I know it is."

* * *

><p><strong>You all hate me now, don't you?.. That's okay, I would too.<strong>

**Not much to say here. Thank you for all the reviews though! Seriously, they mean the world to me.**


	14. Trust

_"I don't wanna have those regrets."_

Kurt couldn't move. He had no idea what to do or say that could possibly make this moment less difficult.

Blaine looked back down at the card, read it again, then stood up. "Hummel… That's the name I forgot. I- I can't believe it didn't click before now."

He looked up at Kurt, who was still standing there like a deer caught in headlights.

"Everything was a lie, wasn't it?" He asked, looking extremely upset. "From the moment we met, it was all a lie."

That's what brought Kurt out of his shocked state. "No," He said as he took a step forward. "That's not true. When I came to you and told you I had trouble with bullies, that wasn't a lie-"

"But it wasn't the reason you came," Blaine cut him off, his voice raising. "You just wanted to meet the person who had your mom's heart! I was being used the entire time! Then, you decide being friends isn't enough, so you agree to the date, knowing that you don't really like me!"

Blaine shook his head, turned away from Kurt, and threw the card back down on the nightstand.

"I do like you!" Kurt protested. "Maybe when we first met I wanted to get to know you for the reason you're thinking, but I really, _honestly_, started to like you. When I said yes to the date, it was for no other reason besides the fact that I wanted to be with you. Not for the heart you have, but because I like _you_."

Blaine turned back to Kurt, looking completely defeated. "I trusted you," He said, his voice quiet. "I liked you so much. You seemed like such a good person. I- I thought you cared about me. God, I'm so stupid." He put his hands over his face, rubbing the tears from his eyes before they could fall.

"No, you're not. I am. I am such an idiot. I should have told you the truth from the beginning, but I got scared, and then I thought it was too late, and-"

"I kissed you," Blaine said, as though he hadn't even heard Kurt speaking. "I kissed you, and I was falling for you, and I thought about you all the time. I had never asked a guy out before, and I never planned on it, but you… you were different. I thought you were different."

"I am different."

"I can't believe I let this happen," Blaine continued.

"Blaine!" Kurt exclaimed, desperate to get his attention.

Blaine looked back at Kurt and, when he said nothing, Kurt spoke.

"I'm sorry for what I did, but you have to believe me when I say that I do like you. When I said yes to that date, it wasn't because of my mom, it was because of you." Tears were in his eyes now, and he couldn't seem to keep them from falling. "I don't want to lose you Blaine. I'm _sorry_."

Blaine took a deep breath. He was silent for a moment before speaking. "I don't have to believe you, Kurt. I _can't_ believe you. I believed everything else and- and look where that got me. I honestly… I don't think I've ever felt so crappy in my entire life. Just… my whole body just _hurts_, Kurt. It hurts and I feel so broken because I trusted you. I told you about my life, and I hate telling that story, but I wanted you to know," He laughed humorlessly, "and you _already_ knew. You helped me when I was going through my depression and you made me feel like a complete person. And now I find out that the only reason you wanted me was because I'm _not_ a complete person. I don't know what's the truth and what's a lie with you anymore."

"Blaine, please, I'm telling you the truth _now_!" Kurt was pleading, tears rolling down his face. He had never felt so bad in his entire life.

"You should have done that from the beginning!" Blaine yelled suddenly, causing Kurt to jump in surprise. "You should have been honest from the start!.. What? Were you scared of me or something? Afraid I'd push you away? Cause I'd like to think that within the first few minutes of meeting me, you'd know that wasn't true!"

"Blaine, I'm sorry!"

"You were my first, Kurt!" Blaine exclaimed, his voice breaking. "You were the first one! The _only_ one! This was it!"

"Wh- What are you talking about? Your first what?"

Blaine shook his head. "I need to go. I have to get out of here," He said as he began walking to the door.

"No!" Kurt replied, grabbing onto his wrist as he passed by him. "No, Blaine, please let's just talk about this."

Blaine looked right into his eyes. They were so close that Kurt could practically feel the tension and hurt coming from Blaine.

"There's nothing to talk about, Kurt," He said, his voice going quiet again. Kurt wished he were still yelling.

Blaine pulled himself out of Kurt's grip then quickly began walking down the hallway and stairs.

Kurt followed behind him, continuing to beg him to stay. Neither of them noticed Finn standing in his own doorway, wondering what he was supposed to do.

"Blaine! Blaine, just sit down and let me talk, please!"

Blaine threw open the door. He didn't even pause when he saw two adults standing at there. He just walked past them and continued on his way to his car.

Kurt pushed past his parents. "Blaine!"

"Goodbye, Kurt," Blaine called back, his voice now shaky, however he refused to let himself cry until he was alone. "Enjoy the card. I meant every word of it."

"Blaine, please!" Kurt said, his voice tired from begging for so long. But, it was too late. Blaine had gotten into his car and was now quickly backing out of the driveway.

"Please," Kurt said one final time, standing there, just watching the car drive away, knowing there was nothing he could do.

* * *

><p>He wasn't sure how long he stood there. The next thing he knew, someone had their hands on his shoulders and was guiding him back into the house.<p>

That's when he realized he was hyperventilating.

"Burt, give him a minute," He heard Carole say, and realized she had to be the one helping him to the couch to sit down. He hadn't even heard his dad speaking.

"Kurt, honey, you have to calm down," She said, sitting down beside him and rubbing his back. "You need to tell us what's going on so we can help you."

But he still couldn't breathe enough to form a sentence.

A few seconds passed and he felt someone else sit on the other side of him. He knew it wasn't his dad, cause his dad always sat or stood opposite him when something was wrong, so he could face him easily.

It had to be Finn.

"He found out didn't he?" Finn asked softly, confirming Kurt's thoughts.

Kurt found himself able to nod.

"Who found out what?" Burt asked.

Kurt, forcing himself to take a few calming breaths, finally looked up. Tears still clouded his vision, but he could see enough to know his dad, and Carole, were both extremely confused.

He glanced over to Finn, who just gave him a sympathetic look, before looking back to Burt.

"Someone say something," Burt said, becoming impatient. "Do I need to go find that kid, or what?"

"That was _him_, Dad," Kurt said, his voice quiet and shaky.

Burt, who had sat on the coffee table in front of Kurt, scooted closer. "Who, Kurt?" He asked, his voice slightly calmer now. "You're gonna have to be more specific."

"Blaine. That was Blaine."

"Blaine?.. You mean the boy you went out to dinner with the other night? The friend you met at the glee club mixer thing?"

Kurt placed his elbows on his legs and dropped his head in his hands. "Oh God, I screwed everything up. I shouldn't have gone. I should never have met him. I'm such an idiot."

Burt looked to Finn. "Do you have any idea what he's talkin' about?"

Finn took a deep breath. "Yeah, I do… but I don't think it's my place to say anything."

Burt sighed, turned his attention back to Kurt, and placed a hand on his knee. "Kurt, whatever happened, you gotta tell us."

Kurt, now out of tears, wiped the last of them from his face. He couldn't find himself to meet Burt's eyes when he spoke, so he focused on a speck of dirt on the floor.

"I- I didn't meet Blaine at a mixer. I- I skipped school one day and went to Dalton. That's when I met him."

"What?" Burt exclaimed in disbelief. "_You_ skipped school?"

Kurt raised a hand to stop him. "Please, just let me finish _everything_ before I get read the riot act."

Burt sighed then nodded, which Kurt saw from the corner of his eye, motioning for him to continue.

"We just got back from a date-"

Burt went to interrupt again, but the look Carole gave him made him stop immediately.

"I know I should have told you about it, but I was nervous and I…" He stopped and took a breath. "That's not the point. The point is, I lied to you, and to Blaine. Dad, Blaine is- he's… He's the boy who got mom's heart."

"_What!_" Burt yelled, unable to stop himself.

Kurt closed his eyes tight. "Dad, please, _please_ let me finish."

Burt stayed silent, although his tapping foot meant it wasn't going to last very long.

Kurt looked back at the spot on the floor and continued. "I went to meet him after you said I couldn't because I knew there was no way I could wait until we were both older. I was going to tell him right away who I was, but I got scared and said I was there because of bullies at McKinley. I know it was stupid, but I kept telling myself I'd tell him the truth the next time I saw him. I never did though, and I started to _really_ like him. Not because of the fact he had mom's heart, but because he was kind and caring and funny and sweet and just… everything I always wanted in a guy.

"But, when we got home from the date, I took him to my room- Nothing was going to happen!" He quickly added, looking at his dad for the first time and seeing this was just getting worse and worse. "No, see, I had been in Blaine's room a few times and just wanted to let him see mine, and god all of this is sounding _so_ wrong, but I went to the bathroom and… and when I got back, he had the card in his hand. The card he had written to us a long time ago. I must've left in on my dresser, and now he hates me, and I hate me, and everything is just so screwed up!"

Burt closed his eyes and sighed deeply, taking long breaths to try and calm himself before speaking.

"Will you two please leave Kurt and I alone for a minute?" He said after a couple minutes of silence.

Carole gave Kurt's back one last comforting rub, then got up. Finn patted Kurt's shoulder and followed his mom upstairs.

Burt stood up as Kurt rubbed his tired, red, puffy eyes. He walked over to the window and stared out, then turned around and walked back to his original spot. He did this a few times, just pacing back and forth.

"I- I guess the conversation's not over yet." Kurt said. It wasn't a question. Just something to try and break the thick, tension-filled silence.

Burt shook his head. "No. No, it's far from over, Kurt."

* * *

><p><strong>Do you guys ever wonder what you'd do if the person writing the story you're reading died suddenly and never got to finish the fic? Like, what if I was on my way to the hospital tomorrow and got in a car accident? What if I died and this is where the story ended? There needs to be a way for me to let you guys know to finish it yourselves. Like some sort of way to say, "Make up the ending you want, I'm busy chillin' in heaven." ...Anyway...<strong>

**This chapter was the first thing to pop in my head when I thought about writing this story. It's weird to finally get to it. I hope you all enjoyed it, cause it kinda gave me a hard time. I think I thought about it for so long that when I actually wrote it, I was like "Meh."**

**Thanks for all the reviews! I got a butt load for the last chapter and it made me sqee! ;) Thank you lovelies!**

**Tumblr: notalone88  
><strong>

**Twitter:TwistedRPower  
><strong>


	15. Dark

_"It'll be okay. It'll be okay. It'll be okay."_

After pacing for a bit longer, which Kurt decided meant he was trying to get his thoughts in order, Burt walked over to his recliner and sat down. He didn't relax into the seat, but instead sat near the edge, leaning over a bit to prop his elbows on his legs.

"So the boy who just ran out of here… He has Elizabeth's heart?"

That was not the way Kurt thought this conversation would begin, but he nodded his reply anyway.

Burt took a deep breath. "This is a lot to take in," He said, rubbing his hand over his eyes.

"I know," Kurt quietly replied, not sure if he should look at his dad or at the floor. He decided to switch back and forth for now.

Another deep breath, let out slowly, and Burt began, "Okay, let's deal with one thing at a time. Look at me."

Kurt looked his dad in the eyes, his heart pounding.

"First, going behind my back and seeing… _Blaine_?"

Kurt nodded.

"And seeing Blaine, even though I said no-"

Kurt opened his mouth to speak.

"No. Now it's your turn to wait. Going even though I said no, I can't really blame you for. I don't like it, but I can't blame you."

Kurt looked very surprised and confused, but he didn't try to interrupt again.

"I honestly should have seen it coming. You've always been one to do whatever you set your mind to, and I shouldn't have suspected anything different with this.

"_However_, the lying to me about it. Lying to me about who Blaine was, where you met him, and what you two were doing, is not something I can let go. For that, you're grounded for a month. You go to school, glee practice, and come home. No shopping trips, no phone after six at night, and I'll be keeping your Vogue magazine that'll come in the mail hostage until the month is over. Also, you will not contact Blaine whatsoever for a week. A-"

"Dad!" Kurt exclaimed. He'd take all other punishment, but he needed to tell Blaine he was sorry. He needed to say it over and over until Blaine knew he meant it.

"Hear me out, Kurt. After a week, you can, and will, apologize to him. That will be the only time you are allowed to go anywhere other than school during the next month."

"But why wait, Dad? I need to apologize _now_."

"You need to give him _space_ right now. It didn't look like he took the news too well."

Kurt huffed out a breath and looked down. "You can say that again… not that I blame him. I would probably never speak to me again." He looked back at Burt, tears in his eyes. "He trusted me, Dad. He told me his whole story, _which_ he informed me he doesn't _like_ to tell, just because he trusted me. He put so much faith in me, and I was too terrified to give him the same courtesy. And there were so many times I was going to tell him. I was going to be completely honest with him and tell him everything, but… but then I'd see him, and I'd either chicken out or, as time passed, would forget the original plan and just enjoy being with him.

"And tonight, when I went in my room and he was holding that card, I saw the look on his face and… I just- I couldn't believe I had done that. I had completely broken him. I never, ever meant to do that. I'd never want to hurt him. I honestly care about him more than I ever thought I would. I didn't say yes to the date to use him, I didn't pretend to have a good time, I didn't pretend to care about what he had to say, I didn't kiss him to use him, I didn't-"

"Wait… _Kiss_?" Burt interrupted before he could stop himself.

"Yeah," Kurt replied with a nod, then continued on like nothing. "And I tried telling him that. I really did, but he wouldn't believe me. Again, not that I blame him for it. I just wish he'd listen, or that I could make him smile again. He's got a great smile. I made him smile before, when he was going through one of his depressions. I couldn't fix him this time though, cause I was the one who caused him to break.

"And he kept telling me I was his first. I was the _"first one."_ I was the _"only one."_ That this was it, and-"

"Okay, okay, Kurt," Burt took a breath. "First _what_, exactly?"

Kurt shrugged. "That's what I'd like to know. Kiss, maybe? Date? I don't know."

"Okay, so, it couldn't mean anything _more_ than kiss or date?"

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed, then he realized what his dad meant and he rolled his eyes. "No, Dad, it couldn't."

Burt let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Look, kid. I know your heart, so I know you would never _mean_ to hurt Blaine, but you did. He needs time to himself right now, and so do you, to figure everything out. You _both_ lost someone you care about tonight, not just you. I don't think he'd forgive you right now if you tried to apologize again anyway, do you?"

Kurt shook his head.

"That's why you'll wait a week. I can't say he'll forgive you then, but at least that'll give you both some time to calm down. Right now, things could be said on both sides that neither of you mean, and you don't want to have anymore regrets, understand?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, I understand."

"Good." Burt rubbed his tired eyes. If his and Carole's movie hadn't been sold out, they'd still be there right now, laughing and enjoying each others company. He hadn't been tired at all just a few minutes ago. But now, now he just felt exhausted. "I think we'll leave it there for tonight, Kurt. This conversation isn't over though. We still have stuff to talk about."

_'Especially now that your dating… and kissing,'_ He added to himself. _'God, I thought I'd never have to have _that_ talk with him. I had hoped.'_

"Yes, Dad."

Kurt got up to leave the room, but Burt called him back to him.

"Kurt," He said, standing up. He held his arms out, motioning for Kurt to come over.

Kurt didn't hesitate to walk over and fall into his dad's arms.

"I love you, kid," Burt said as they hugged tightly. Kurt never felt safer than when he was being hugged by his dad.

"I love you, too."

After a moment, Burt pulled back. He held onto Kurt's shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes. "Everyone makes mistakes, Kurt. Everyone. Believe it or not, even more massive than the one you made. What matters is that you work to fix it, and you've got a week to figure out the right way to do that."

Kurt nodded. "Thank you, Dad," He said, giving his dad one final squeeze before going up to his room.

He changed and went straight to bed, but he never fell asleep. He couldn't get Blaine, and the card, that now seemed to be haunting him, out of his mind no matter where he put it. He got up twelve times throughout the night, putting it in different locations. Then, at around three a.m., he gave up. He pulled the card out from the two books he had placed it in-between, laid back down in bed, and stared at it until long after the sun rose the next morning.

* * *

><p>Blaine just wanted to get home. That's all he focused his mind on the second he got into his car. He kept taking deep breaths, ignoring the burning feeling in his lungs.<p>

"Just get home, just get home," He repeated to himself.

Tears stung his eyes but, just as it was in Kurt's room, he refused to let himself cry. If he cried, he'd have to pull over, and that meant taking longer to get home.

"Just get home, just get home."

He started giving himself directions to his house, even though he didn't need to.

"Pass this road… turn here… go straight for two miles… turn left at light…"

He did this until he pulled into his driveway.

He quickly got out of is car but, the second he started to head into the house, he let himself remember the night. How perfect everything had been, up until…

Then how everything had crashed down on him. All of his feelings were just stomped on. Some may say he was being dramatic, but they didn't know him. They didn't know his life. They didn't know his thoughts. They didn't know how hard it was to break his own rule and ask a guy out. They just didn't know.

He felt that all too familiar feeling. This time, however, he didn't dread it. He craved it. He craved his bed, no lights, door closed, world gone.

He unlocked the front door and went inside, hoping no one would be around… No such luck.

"Blaine, how was your night?" Diane asked, a smile on her face.

Blaine ignored her, closing the door back and starting up the stares.

Diane's smile faded. "Blaine? Blaine, honey, stop."

Blaine stopped, but he didn't turn to look at her. It was too bright in here. It was starting to hurt his head. And he was tired. So tired. His body ached. He just needed his bed. That's it. Covers pulled up over his head, sleep taking him away. That's all he wanted. He didn't want to use his voice right now.

"What happened?" She asked, her voice laced with worry.

"I made a mistake," He said quietly, then resumed making his way to his room.

She called out to him again, but this time he just closed his door… _loudly_, just so she knew he didn't want to be bothered.

He didn't turn on his light, and he didn't change clothes. He took his phone out of his pocket, turned it off, and tossed it on the ground. He wasn't sure where it landed, and he didn't really care. He walked over to his bed, threw the covers back, laid down, pulled the covers back over him completely, and curled in on himself, letting sleep immediately take over.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it took so long. Had family issues and finals. That's over now though (well, not the family stuff, but the finals), so updates should be more regular.<strong>

**Also, I posted this on my last You Found Me update, but since it happened here... If you could refrain from cussing at me when you don't like a chapter, that'd be great. Constructive criticism is welcome, but saying the past few chapters, and I quote, were "shit" doesn't really help me any. Especially since I was having a really crappy day when I read the review anyway. However, to all the other kind reviewers out there, thank you. Thankfully there is only one person who did the above, but it was enough to annoy the crap out of me. If you have a problem with something I write, ask me why I did it before jumping to conclusions. A lot of things I put, or_ don't_ put, in my stories are there, or _not_ there, for a reason. **

**With that out of the way...**

**Tumblr: notalone88**

**Twitter: TwistedRPower**


	16. Days

_"Don't do anything crazy while I'm gone, boys."_

Two days. That's how long it had been since that horrible, horrible night. Kurt had only slept a total of four hours since then, and that was only because exhaustion forced him to sleep.

Kurt knows he won't be able to sleep until he gets to apologize to Blaine; and he won't be able to sleep _well_ until Blaine accepts his apology… _if_ that ever happens.

He went through school in a fog. A thick, thick fog. He went to his classes, although he couldn't tell you a word the teacher had said, then made his last stop to glee practice.

"Kurt… Kurt?"

"Hm?" Kurt said, snapping out of his trance.

"You okay?" Sam asked from beside him. "You seem a little… out of it."

"No," Kurt replied, not even trying to hide his feelings, "I'm not okay."

Finn, who was seated in front of him, seemed to have heard Kurt. He turned back to him, "If you wanna go home, I'll get a ride with Puck."

Kurt nodded, not even hesitating before picking up his satchel and leaving out of the room just as Mr. Schue came in to start practice. He didn't even give an explanation when Mr. Schue asked him where he was going.

He just left, went home, laid in his bed, and tried- but failed- to forget.

* * *

><p>Four days. Four days since Blaine found out the truth. Four days that he's spent curled under his comforter, wishing the world to go away.<p>

He barely eats, only taking a few bites of each meal his mom brings to him- and he only does that once he knows that she's out of the room.

He wouldn't eat anything if it weren't for his medicine. Almost all of them have to be taken with food. It made him feel nauseous enough taking them with only a few bites in his stomach. He didn't want to deal with how he'd feel on a _completely_ empty stomach.

He doesn't speak. Ever. He hasn't spoken a word to his mom in four days. It's easy, really, he doesn't mind. Voices are too loud anyway.

He sleeps a lot; Usually only waking when his mom brings him his meals and pills, or when his bladder can't hold anymore and he's forced to leave his bed and go to the bathroom.

And that's such a chore. The hallway light is always on and, even if it wasn't, it would still be too bright out there. Right now, light just seems so… wrong. But, then again, nothing really seems _right_ at the moment anyway.

* * *

><p>Five days. Five days since Burt told Kurt he'd have to wait a week to talk to Blaine. He can tell it's taking a toll on him. His eyes are dark and puffy. A couple of mornings he's come out of his room looking like he spent the entire night crying.<p>

Burt had decided to hold off on anymore conversations right now. Not because he himself didn't want to deal with it, but because he didn't think they'd be very productive with the mood Kurt was in.

He barely eats, Burt has also noticed. He's practically had to force feed him his toast the past couple of mornings.

He doesn't talk much either. Only when he's answering a question, or when it's just absolutely necessary that he speak. Even then, it seems forced.

He's miserable. That's the only word that seems fairly accurate to Burt right now.

One thing was for sure; Kurt didn't just have a small amount of feelings for this Blaine. It's definitely the "more than friends" feelings. It's obvious to Burt that Kurt likes and cares about Blaine a lot. He just hoped that, if Kurt could convince him of that without even saying anything, he could convince Blaine of it as well… _Then_ they'd have their _talk_.

As for the whole thing of Blaine having Elizabeth's heart. Well, that wasn't even something Burt was allowing himself to think about right now.

* * *

><p>Six. Six days since the world seemed to suddenly fall apart.<p>

Diane had no idea what had happened. Blaine hadn't spoken a word to her since he came home from his date.

_"I made a mistake."_

That's the last thing she heard come out of her son's mouth.

She had tried talking to him a few times since then, but had gotten nowhere.

She wished Kurt would come by. For all she knew, he was the cause of this, but at least she'd have some answers. That's all she wanted. A reason.

There was always a reason every other time. She understood all the other times. She could see them coming, she could get through them, no matter how painful it still was.

But this, this was a whole new thing. At least before he would speak to her. Not much, but a little.

_"No, Mom."_

_"I'll eat it later, Mom."_

_"Please stop asking."_

_"Mom, really, go. I'm just tired."_

She thought those times were bad. The times she could only get annoyed or agitated answers from him. But, she'd take that over this any day.

* * *

><p>Seven. Seven days. One week. He'd get to see him today- hopefully.<p>

Kurt pulled into Blaine's driveway. He got out of the car, rubbed his hands over his shirt to make sure it was wrinkle free, then made his way to the front door.

He took a deep breath, and hoped his eyes didn't look as swollen and raccoon-like as they had been the past few days.

He had spent an extra half hour getting ready this morning. It was the first time he'd cared about his looks in a week.

Once he reached the front door, he looked over his clothes again, making sure everything looked just right.

He gently felt his hair, then smacked his cheeks so they'd have some color to them.

He took one last deep breath before holding out his hand and ringing the doorbell.

* * *

><p><strong>This one's a shorty, but I just wanted to show little pieces from the week, through different POV's.<strong>

**Thank you all so much for all the reviews and for being so nice. You guys make my day, everyday. I'm serious, Between this and seeing what you put on tumblr, I'm blown away. Thank you, thank you, thank you.**

**Tumblr: notalone88**

**Twitter: TwistedRPower**


	17. Sorry

_"She may be gone, but her memory will live on."_

Kurt felt like he had been waiting for hours for the door to open. He had gone through every scenario as to why no one had answered yet. It varied from the normal worries of Blaine's parents knowing what had happened and not wanting to see him, to the more crazy ideas of them getting a machine gun out of their basement to shoot him through the door.

In reality, it was only a matter of maybe twenty seconds before the door was opening.

However, it wasn't Blaine's mom, as it had always been before. This time it was a man who, Kurt figured, was Blaine's dad.

"Hello, I'm Ku-"

"Yes, but I said I didn't care about that, didn't I?"

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the man held a finger up at Kurt, motioning for him to hold on. Then Kurt noticed the Bluetooth in the man's ear.

"Well, think about it next time. I have to go, I'll call you back. I don't care!"

He pressed the button on his Bluetooth. "Sorry," He said, looking at Kurt, "I work with idiots."

"I- It's okay." Kurt cleared his throat. "Um, I'm a friend, I mean, I know Blaine. My name is Kurt; I was wondering if I could speak to him."

"Oh, well, come in. Diane!" He called out as he stepped aside for Kurt to enter.

"I'm Nathan, Blaine's father," He paused and looked over to see Diane coming down the stairs, "and I have to get back to my office and fix the things my workers screwed up." He looked over to his wife, "Call me when dinner's ready. Hopefully I'll be done by then."

Diane came down the last step and Nathan kissed her cheek before heading back to his office.

"Kurt, I'm so glad you're here," Diane said, sighing in relief.

"Ma'am, I was wondering if it would be okay to speak to Blaine," Kurt said. He figured she must not know what had happened seeing she said she was _glad_ he was there.

"Of course, of course. But, please, come with me first."

Kurt nodded and Diane led the way into the kitchen. "Have a seat," She said, motioning to the kitchen table. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, Ma'am. I'm fine, thank you."

Diane nodded and sat down next to Kurt. She looked at him for a moment before speaking. "You look like you just watched a bear eat a baby. You don't need to be scared, Kurt. I didn't bring you in here to yell at you. As far as I know, for the moment, I have no reason _to_ yell at you."

She paused as Kurt's face and body language relaxed, then she continued.

"I'm desperate, Kurt. He's worse than he's ever been."

Kurt forced himself to not automatically tear up. Blaine was worse than he'd ever been… because of him. It was his fault. He thought about checking himself out of the conversation, but he knew he couldn't do that. Even if he was listening just to punish himself further… he deserved it.

"He's barely eating. He won't speak, at all. Not a word. I haven't heard him say one letter since he came home from you guys' date a week ago.

"I wanted to call you. You helped so much last time, but I didn't have your number, and I didn't feel right going in and looking through Blaine's phone.

"But, Kurt, I need to know. I need to know if something happened that night. Did you see anything? Did you see him start to change? Was there a sign? Anything?"

The desperation on her face made it hard for Kurt to keep it together. He'd caused all of this. He'd not only hurt Blaine, but Blaine's family as well… or, at least, his mom. And that was bad enough.

Kurt took a deep breath before beginning. "The date itself went really well… It couldn't have been better, actually. But, at the end of the night, something happened. I just, before I tell you everything, I need to speak to Blaine. I need to apologize to him. I will tell you everything after that, I promise."

Diane eyed him carefully. "Did you do something to him- _physically_?"

Kurt's eyes widened. "N- No! God, no! I would never, ever do anything like that. I just- I wasn't completely honest with him, but I want to be, if he'll let me. I just- I have to apologize to him."

Diane hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Go on up," She said, her voice soft. "Don't bother knocking; He won't answer."

Kurt thanked her as he stood up.

He nervously made his way through the house, up the stairs, and toward Blaine's bedroom door.

His palms were sweaty, his heart was racing, and he was pretty sure he was gonna throw up.

When he reached Blaine's door he lightly knocked, even though he knew it was pointless. He still felt it would be wrong to go in without any warning.

After waiting a few seconds, he slowly pushed the door open.

The room was dark, which he expected, and he could make out Blaine's figure bundled underneath his comforter, which was also expected.

However, no matter how expected it was, Kurt could still feel his heart breaking more and more.

"Blaine?" He said nervously as he closed the door behind him, "Blaine, it's me, Kurt."

No response. Not even a twitch.

Kurt's eyes had adjusted to the lack of light now and, if it wasn't for the fact he could see Blaine's eyes were open and staring blankly ahead, Kurt would have thought he was sleeping.

After taking a deep breath, Kurt took a few cautious steps forward. "I- I came to apologize to you, Blaine. I wanted to come sooner, but my dad made me wait a week. He thought it would be good to give us both some time apart first. To me it just felt like torture, but…" His voice trailed off and, after a moment of awkward silence, he cleared his throat.

It was so weird seeing Blaine like this. He was so emotionless. He face showed no anger, sadness, or hurt. It showed nothing.

"I just- I want you to know that I'm not going to make any excuses for myself. Everything I'm about to say is completely true, but it is definitely not an excuse. I promise.

"I fully intended to tell you about my mom when I came to Dalton that day. I wanted to so bad… and then I met you, and I chickened out. And then I _kept_ chickening out after that.

"When you asked me to go run errands with you, I said yes because I wanted to get to know the person who was given my mom's heart. I wasn't even sure you were the right Blaine Anderson at the time, but I was going to figure out a way to find out. I had made up my mind that I was going to tell you the truth that day. Then, you picked me up. And, as the day went on, I forgot about what I was going to tell you, I forgot about the first reason I wanted to get to know you, and I just… I had a good time. I enjoyed being with you. I started to like you for you.

"And yes, I should have told you before you trusted me with your life story. By that time I was sure you were the right Blaine. That was extremely low on my part, and I fully understand that. I wanted to know your story, desperately so, but that was not the way to hear it. You should have known who you were telling the story to before you decided to tell it.

"But, when you asked me out on a date, I said yes because I like you. I said yes because I wanted to be with you, and I wanted to go on a date with you. I didn't even think about my mom then. I didn't think about the consequences- until I got home."

Kurt paused, trying to fight the tears that were threatening to fall.

"God, Blaine, there were so many times when I was going to tell you. So many times I talked to my step-brother and he told me I needed to be honest with you, and I said that I would. But, every time I got around you, every time I saw your face, it's like everything changed. The things I knew I should do just flew out the window and it was just us, two as-normal-as-can-be-for-gays-in-Ohio teenage boys who liked each other. You became my best friend, and then someone who I thought of as more than that.

"I know I did a lot of stupid and idiotic things, but I would have never accepted a date with you just to use you for my benefit. _Never_. I may be low, but I am not _that_ low.

"I am so, unbelievably sorry, Blaine." Kurt's voice wavered now, unable to fully control his emotions any longer. "I completely understand it if you don't forgive me. I don't really expect you to, although I hope you do someday.

"My- My dad wanted me to spend the past week thinking of the right way to fix this- and I tried to- but I couldn't, cause I'm not sure it can be," A tear ran down his cheek at the full realization that he may never see Blaine again after today. "I don't blame you if you never want to see me again, and I know nothing I say will make it all okay, but I'd at least like a chance to prove to you that I'm not lying anymore. I'd like a chance to, at least one day, be able to be your friend again."

Kurt paused. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for. Blaine hadn't spoken in a week; there was no reason for him to start now. He just hoped Blaine had heard him. Had listened. And that maybe, maybe, not all hope was lost.

"I'm gonna go, Blaine, but I'm not giving up. I won't give up until you either believe me, or tell me to stop trying."

Kurt turned, his heart heavy, but a little better now that he got to say his piece.

He had the doorknob turned and was about to open the door when a barely there, but familiar, voice made him freeze.

"Tell me about her."

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know, I'm torturing you guys... but I do it out of love :)<strong>

**Sorry it took a while to get here, but my grandma's in the hospital (still), my sister and her family move Friday (she's my only Glee buddy and now she'll be a fifteen hour car ride away), and after spending hours at the hospital every day, when I get home, I just crash. Sleep has been my best friend lately, and I can't really remember what it's like to not be tired.**

**Anyhow, the chapter is here, and I already have the next one outlined, so fear not! It'll be here in a few days (I hope).**

**Tumblr: notalone88 (I tag all of my In A Heartbeat news with _fic: In a Heartbeat_ so if you guys just wanna track that, you can do so.)**

**Twitter: TwistedRPower**


	18. Memory

_"You smell so good, Mommy."_

It wasn't forgiveness, but it wasn't a "get away from me" either.

Kurt slowly turned around, as though moving too fast would make everything fall apart.

He made his way to the bed, going to the opposite side of where Blaine was lying. He noticed that, even wen he passed by Blaine, Blaine's eyes never moved; it was as though they were stuck in their position of staring straight ahead.

"Can I sit?" Kurt asked quietly, cautiously, as if waiting for the blow.

At first there was nothing, then Blaine replied by simply pulling back the covers on that side.

Kurt took that as a yes, and hoped he wasn't wrong as he sat down, resting his head back on the headboard and laying out his feet on the bed. It was a position he was comfortable with, having spent many days like that in Blaine's room the last time he went through one of his depressions.

Kurt wasn't sure where to start, or what exactly Blaine wanted to know, but he knew that now wasn't exactly the time to ask questions, so he simply began…

"The first thing I always seem to remember about her was her smell. She always smelled so good. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was, but it was always a mixture of her perfume and cookies. My dad would always joke that she smelled sweet and spicy, matching her attitude.

"I used to tell her how good she smelled and, when I did, she would get out her perfume bottle and spray it on me a couple of times, then tell me that now I did too.

"I've asked my dad what perfume she wore a couple of times, but he could never remember the name; only that it was a pink, round bottle that looked like a girls dress when they would spin around." Kurt laughed lightly, remembering his dad describing it a few years back.

"She was sweet and caring," Kurt continued, "and it was obvious that she loved being a mom. I… I can't remember a lot of details about her; Sometimes I have to go through old photos to remember the exact color of her eyes, but I clearly remember this one day. I was sick and had been kept home from school. She spent the entire day by my side, except for when she was getting me something to drink, or eat… _then_ when she had to clean up my vomit _from_ me eating… That was about two days before she died," He added, the small smile he had on his lips fading away. "I had no idea that would be the last full day I'd ever have with her. It would be the last time we'd ever sit and watch movies together. The last time I'd fall asleep with my head in her lap. The last time she'd make up a story to tell me. The last time she'd make her famous, homemade chicken soup."

Kurt paused to collect himself, wiping away the lone tear that had fallen down his cheek. He looked down at Blaine to see that, while _he_ hadn't moved, his eyes were now focused on Kurt instead of looking past him.

Kurt stared back at him for a moment, then looked away, unable to hold the gaze.

After clearing his throat, Kurt continued. "Anyway, another thing I remember is that, nights when I had nightmares, I'd always go to her. I'd wake her up and tell her I had a bad dream, then she'd get up, take my hand, and walk me back to my room. I'd always ask the same thing, making sure she wouldn't leave me, and she'd always reply with a "you know I won't." And she never did. She would always be there when I woke up.

"She always seemed to know which bad dream I would have before I would tell her. I don't know how she did it, but she always correctly guessed which nightmare it was.

"She'd lay down in my bed and I'd lay beside her, then…" His voice trailed off. For a moment, Kurt wondered if he should say the next part, but then he remembered that he had promised Blaine the truth- with everything. So, he continued, "Then I'd lay my head on her chest. I'd listen to her heartbeat and it would calm me down. I'd be back asleep within a few minutes."

Kurt took a deep breath. "That's the main things I remember about her."

They both sat in silence for a moment. Blaine's eyes returned to staring blankly at the wall, and Kurt looked toward the door.

"I'm tired," Blaine announced quietly after about half a minute of silence.

Kurt looked over at him to see that he did indeed look exhausted. He nodded, even though Blaine wasn't looking at him, and got up.

"I won't be around for a while," Kurt said, "I'm still grounded for three weeks. My dad just let me out this once. I probably won't be able to text either cause, again, _grounded_, but…" He took a breath. "I meant what I said earlier, Blaine. I won't give up on our friendship until you forgive me or tell me to get lost."

With that, Kurt left. His heart still felt heavy, but he tried to find solace in the fact that Blaine never told him to go away.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortest. Chapter. Ever. Seriously, this chapter was a three page outline in my notebook, which usually means it'll be around 2,000 words... then it was just this little tiny thing. I didn't want to add unnecessary stuff though, so there it is...<strong>

**Thank you for all the amazing reviews! I can't believe how many I've gotten! Y'all are my sweethearts and I give you all internet hugs!**

**Tumblr: notalone88**

**Twitter: TwistedRPower**


	19. Time

_"You're gonna make it, Honey. You're gonna be okay."_

Blaine just laid there. He felt so tired, but he couldn't fall asleep. No matter how exhausted his body was, his brain was now going into overdrive.

There was so much to think about. _Too_ much.

It would have been so easy to either forgive Kurt on the spot, _or_ to tell him to stay away forever... Neither of those options sounded reasonable though.

Hearing about Kurt's mom had been a lot to take in. A whole lot. And, like it or not, he and Kurt were connected.

Even if he would have said goodbye forever, he never would have been able to forget Kurt. He never would have been able to forget his first crush, first date, first kiss… But, besides that, he couldn't forget the son of person he received his heart from.

No, saying goodbye forever today wouldn't have been a good thing. It would have left too many wounds open for both him and Kurt.

But just forgiving him and moving on… He didn't think that was possible either. Their friendship- heck, it was _more_ than a friendship- was based on a lie. A big lie, with an even bigger secret looming behind it.

No, simply moving on wasn't viable either.

One thing was certain though, he needed sleep. Hours of sleep. He'd make a decision later, but for now, he simply needed to turn off his brain.

* * *

><p>Kurt took a deep breath as he walked down the hallway and toward the staircase. Now he needed to talk to Diane, which he was not looking forward to doing.<p>

It had been hard enough to bring up all of those memories with Blaine, but now having to relive even more memories- which were far more painful- and run the risk of being kicked out of the house and their lives forever… No, Kurt was not looking forward to this at all.

"Mrs. Anderson?" Kurt called out as he walked down the last step. She had told him before to call her Diane, but he didn't think it was appropriate for what he was about to tell her.

Kurt, not receiving an answer, walked toward the kitchen.

"Mrs. Anderson?" He called again.

He looked around the kitchen and, after finding it empty, turned to go look elsewhere.

When he turned, however, Nathan was right behind him.

Kurt jumped and gasped.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" Nathan asked, moving passed Kurt to get to the fridge.

"Um, just a little. It's fine… Mr. Anderson-"

"Nathan," He corrected.

"N- Nathan, is Mrs. Anderson here?"

"No, she's not. She came into my office a couple of minutes ago saying she needed to go to the store. Apparently she didn't have everything she needed for whatever she's making for dinner tonight."

Nathan closed the refrigerator door back, a bottle of water in one hand and some grapes in the other.

"Did you need her for something?" He asked, his brown eyes staring straight into Kurt's.

"Well, I was just supposed to speak with her after talking to Blaine."

"Did Blaine speak to you?" Nathan asked, his expression changing slightly. It shocked Kurt a little, although he hid it of course. It was the first time the man had seemed human.

"Just a few words. Not much."

Nathan sighed. "Oh… Well, would you like me to take a message for you? I can tell her whenever she gets back." And just like that, he was back to his old self.

"Just tell her I had to go, and that I won't be able to come around for a while, but I will speak with her as soon as I can."

Nathan eyed him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I'll let her know."

"Thank you," Kurt replied. He wasn't exactly sure what to do now. Did he simply turn and leave, say goodbye first, or… _what?_

"I have to get back to work." Nathan said, putting down the water bottle and opening a drawer. "Was there anything else you needed?" He asked as he pulled out a notebook.

"No, thank you, Sir-"

"_Nathan_."

"No, thank you, Nathan. I'll just let myself out."

"Have a good day, Kurt," He said as Kurt turned and headed toward the front door.

"Thank you. You too."

As Kurt exited the house, he took another deep breath- which he seemed to be taking a lot of today. He wasn't quite sure what to make of Nathan. He seemed like a workaholic to Kurt, yet he showed, if only for a brief moment, that he cared about his son.

He acted like a no-nonsense type of guy, yet Kurt couldn't help but feel there were many more layers beneath the dark-haired man.

Kurt figured he would just have to wait for another time to figure him out… Then he hoped there _could_ _be_ another time.

* * *

><p>She had heard it. Diane had heard it all. She couldn't help but follow Kurt up the stairs and listen at Blaine's door. She was concerned about her son; Any worried mother would do it.<p>

Her son was hurting, and she'd do anything to fix it. She couldn't wait any longer for answers. She'd waited too long already.

So, she listened. She listened to everything Kurt had to say up until the cold silence once he was finished.

She had left quickly after that; grabbing her keys, sticking her head into Nathan's office to let him know where she was going, then hurrying to her car.

She wasn't even sure she realized what she was doing until she got about a mile down the road.

She pulled over, everything hitting her at once.

Kurt was the son of the woman who was Blaine's donor.

Kurt lied about it.

That's why Blaine came home upset.

He found out the truth on the night of his _first_ date.

That's why he's depressed again.

That's why he's not speaking.

Kurt's asked for forgiveness and seemed genuinely sorry.

But it was such a big lie.

Diane rested her head on the steering wheel, taking long, deep breaths. She couldn't stop the tears that fell down her cheeks as she began to silently cry.

She was always so strong. She had to be. If she wasn't, who would be? Nathan threw himself into his work, and Cooper left at eighteen and had his own life now. She was the one to take care of Blaine. She always had been.

Nathan had work, and had to take care of Cooper, the many times when Blaine was in the hospital.

Cooper had school, and soccer, and weekend drama classes that he couldn't miss. No matter how different their lives were from normal, she and her husband wanted him to be able to be as normal as he could be. They didn't want him to miss out on being a kid.

Nathan juggled all of Cooper's things, along with work. Diane had quit her job when things became too much, so Nathan worked even more.

The whole family worked together, but _she_ was the one with Blaine twenty-four seven. She was the one to spend weeks and months at the hospital, day and night, going without sleep just to watch over her son.

She was the one who had to make the decision to put Blaine on a ventilator for a week when he contracted pneumonia.

She was the one who had to be rushed out of the room three different times when he had to be revived.

She was the one to live with him for ten months in an apartment after his surgery, making sure he took his medication every day and dealing with the side effects of them all.

She was the one to deal with the mood swings and the pain. She was the one who had to hold him while he cried. She was the one who had to cuddle him while he slept. She was the one who woke up every half hour, every night, for three years after the surgery to go into his room and make sure he was breathing.

She had an incredible bond with her son, even if she didn't fully show it anymore. Once he became a teenager, she knew she had to pull back some and let him be himself, but that didn't change the fact that he was her everything.

She loved Cooper. She loved him so, so much. But they didn't have what she and Blaine did. Yes, that was probably her fault, but she couldn't help it. If it had been Cooper with the bad heart, and him that had to go through all Blaine did, things would be the other way around.

When Blaine was happy, she was happy. When he was sad, she was sad. When he was angry, she was angry. On and on…

But, that was the problem right now. She didn't know what Blaine was. She figured he wasn't _happy_, but she didn't know what was going on inside of his head. It wasn't like she could force him to talk either; She'd never do that.

Diane had always wanted to know the family of the woman who gave her son a chance at life. She wanted to thank them, and hug them, and cry with them. That's what she pictured.

She never pictured this.

She didn't want it at her son's expense.

God, she was just so confused. She needed answers. She needed someone to talk to Blaine and get him out of this constant rut. Kurt worked last time, but she didn't think he would this time.

She'd have to find _someone_. She'd have to find someone who could talk to him and help him… and hopefully help her as well.

* * *

><p><strong>I've had this chapter outlined in my notebook for over a week, but I just sat down and took the time to write it tonight. I once told a reviewer that I found solace in writing, and that's still true. Doing this is where I find my peace.<strong>

**Thank you all for the messages about my Nanny. I read every single one. I'm sorry if I didn't write back, but there were so many to read and so much to do that I just didn't have time. But, I want you all to know that I appreciate all of you so, so much. You have helped me more than I can express. Not to sound all cheesy, but you all are basically like best friends/family to me. I don't know what I'd do without my Glee fandom peeps :) Thank you!**

**And, to finish off the A/N:**

**Tumblr: notalone88**

**Twitter: TwistedRPower (I hardly ever write on there though.)**


	20. Out

_"Mommy, am I gonna be okay?"_

Diane let out a deep, relieved breath as she hung up the house phone.

She had just made what was possibly one of the best, most important phone calls ever.

It had been a long talk, starting off awkwardly. But, as they became more comfortable, it turned out to be an amazing two hours.

She was finally able to talk to someone who understood, at least to a certain point.

It also felt nice to just let out all of her fears and worries without feeling like a burden.

Before they hung up, they agreed to meet up, along with Blaine, to talk. She felt it was the best thing to do for her son, and just hoped she was right.

They had decided to meet in three days for lunch, and those three days could not go by fast enough.

Blaine didn't seem to be doing any better. He still didn't speak, only exited his room to go to the bathroom, and barely ate. She was scared he'd start losing too much weight, and that was _not_ something she needed to add to her list of worries.

* * *

><p>When the day finally arrived, Diane made her way up to Blaine's room. She decided to go with "tough love" so, when she entered the room, she walked right over to his window and jerked the curtains open.<p>

"Time to get up, Blaine," She said as she walked over to his bed and pulled the comforter off from over his face. "We're going out today."

Blaine didn't respond. He simply grabbed the covers and threw them back over himself.

Diane sighed. She took them in her hand again and jerked them off, leaving them at the end of the bed, too far for Blaine to simply pull them back up again.

"I'm serious, Blaine," She said, "You're going to get up, and we're going out. You have an hour to get ready."

Blaine didn't move as Diane went to his closet, pulled out an outfit for him to wear, then laid it on the empty side of his bed. "You get up now, or I'll dress you myself. I did it when you were little and I can do it now."

"Please, just go," Blaine finally speaks. His voice is so quiet that, if not for the fact Diane had very, very good ears, she wouldn't have heard it.

"No, Blaine. This is different. You are simply feeling sorry for yourself, and I will not sit by and let it go on any further. I've always let you take your time with these things, but, like I just said, this time is different. I will not baby you.

"As for today, you do not have a choice. You're going to get up, get your clothes on, look presentable, and we are going out for brunch."

"I don't feel like it, Mom."

"It doesn't matter; We're going."

No one could imagine how hard this was for Diane. This was hurting her more than it was hurting Blaine, that was for sure. She was the understanding one. The one who tried to work him through his depressions, and at his own speed. She brought him his food and pills, made sure he was doing okay, and gave him encouraging words.

This… This just wasn't her.

But she knew, or she hoped, it would be for the best.

She stood there for a full minute, arms crossed, as she waited for him to get up. When he didn't, she exited the room… and came back with Nathan.

"Blaine," He said sternly.

Blaine's head popped up at the voice. His dad never came in his room. Heck, he never saw his dad period when he was going through one of his spells.

He looked back at his dad with wide eyes, but said nothing.

"You are going to do as your mother tells you," He continued, his voice never wavering. "You are going to get up, put on the clothes she picked out for you, fix your hair, look presentable, then get in the car and go wherever she's taking you. You will do it without any further complaint. Do you understand me?"

Blaine was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what the heck was going on. "Y- Yes, Sir," He finally replied.

"Good."

Nathan walked away, but Diane remained in the doorway. "You have a little over half an hour. I'll be waiting downstairs."

* * *

><p>Blaine wasn't exactly in a cheery mood as he came downstairs exactly thirty minutes later, but he didn't complain either… Although that might be because he wasn't speaking at all.<p>

Diane got up from her spot on the couch when she heard his footsteps coming down the stairs, and she met him at the door. "You look handsome," She said, trying to get him to smile.

He didn't.

She ushered him out to the car, then, soon enough, they were on their way.

Blaine had no idea where they were going, and tried to act as though he couldn't care less, but Diane could tell he was wondering the whole way.

She could see him out of the corner of her eye. As they would pass by road signs, or familiar restaurants where they usually had brunch, Blaine would look around as though he was waiting to see if that's where they were turning.

When they reached the small cafe, Diane parked and looked over at Blaine.

"This?" He questioned, speaking for the first time since answering his father earlier that morning.

"This," She replied with a nod.

She knew why he was questioning it. This wasn't a place she would normally- or _ever_- go to. She didn't like to consider herself "stuck up", but, when it came to food, she was picky.

A little, hole-in-the-wall cafe was not her thing.

They got out of the car, Blaine going slowly, as though it were all some weird joke and a camera crew would run out at any moment.

"Come on," Diane said as she came around the car.

Blaine walked up the unpaved parking lot with Diane beside him.

When they got inside, she looked around until she saw a man wave them over.

"Over here," She said to Blaine. He looked at the man, then gave her a confused glance.

She guided him over to the man, her hand on his back the whole way.

"Hello," She said with a smile as he stood up.

"Good to see you," He replied with a nod. He shook her hand, then reached out to Blaine. "And you're Blaine, right?"

"Um, right," He replied, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He returned the shake before asking, "I'm sorry… Who are you?"

"I'm Burt Hummel; Kurt's dad."

* * *

><p><strong>That was pretty much the least surprising thing ever, right? haha Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter anyway. It was pretty short, but the next one's probably going to be really long. Also, if any of you feel that Blaine should know what Burt looks like, it'll be explained in the next chapter. I just know some people will ask about it, so I thought I should mention it here.<strong>

**Check out my oneshot, if you would like. It's called _In Today's News_, and it's basically just a fluffy Klaine story :)**

**Tumblr: notalone88**


	21. Lizzy

_"Just you and me now, Bud. We'll be alright, though. I promise, we'll be alright."_

Blaine is wide-eyed as he and Burt finish shaking hands.

Diane placed an arm on Burt's shoulder, "Is one hour good?" She asked.

He nodded. "That's plenty of time. Sure you don't want to stay?"

"It's better if I don't."

This seemed to bring Blaine out of his trance. "Wait. What?"

"Blaine, I'm going to go run some errands," Diane explained, "and let you and Mr. Hummel-"

"Burt," He corrected.

"-And _Burt_ talk. When I get back, we'll have lunch. If you feel like it."

"M- Mom, you can't just leave me here," Blaine replied nervously. His mom didn't just leave him with strangers!

"It's only for an hour, Blaine. You'll be fine." She leaned toward him, gave him a kiss on his cheek, then began to walk off.

He turned in her direction. "Mom!" He called out, wanting her to come back.

She either didn't hear him, or pretended not to, as she walked out of the cafe, never looking back.

"Have a seat," Burt said as he sat back down. Blaine slowly turned toward him and Burt could see a mixture of nervousness, fear, worry, and every other negative feeling out there.

"Don't worry," Burt continued, " Contrary to popular belief, I don't bite."

Blaine cautiously pulled out the seat opposite of Burt, then sat down.

Burt took a sip of the coffee that he had ordered while waiting for them to arrive, then cleared his throat. "Would you like anything to drink? Here, if you want it, you gotta go up and get it."

Blaine shook his head. "I'm fine," He replied quietly.

Burt nodded. "You know, over these past couple of weeks, I've heard a lot about you. It seems that now everything's out in the open, Kurt can't stop talkin' about you."

"Mr. Hummel-"

"_Burt_."

"Burt. I'm sorry to be rude, but I'd rather not talk about Kurt. He already came to me, and he told me I could take my time on what I decided and-"

Burt held up his hand to stop Blaine. "I'm not here to talk about him," He said. "At least not about you two's relationship- _whatever_ it may be.

"I am here to tell you a story, if you promise that you'll listen."

Blaine hesitated for a moment, still feeling unsure about this whole thing. However, he was stranded here for at least an hour with this man, so he might as well hear whatever he had to say. He nodded, then shifted in his seat to be more comfortable.

"Okay. Good. Now, this story is about a woman named Elizabeth Hummel, also known as my late wife."

Blaine began to interrupt, definitely not feeling ready to hear any stories about her, but Burt held out a hand to stop him. "Now, you promised you'd listen. You don't even know what I have to say."

Blaine sunk back into his chair and sighed. "Okay. Okay, I'll listen," He said quietly.

"Thank you… So, I met Lizzy in nineteen eighty-nine at my ten year high school reunion, which I did not want to go to. My girlfriend at the time had picked up my mail for me, saw the invitation, and practically forced me to go. I sat down at the table Lizzy was at while my girlfriend talked to people I _should_ have known, and we started talking. It turns out she was dragged there by her boyfriend, who had graduated with me. When we found out we shared a hatred for parties, we hit it off. Ended up finding out we had a _lot_ in common.

"However, we didn't start dating until months later. I was getting groceries and she was in the store. We saw each other and started talking again. I had broken up with my girlfriend by that time, and she had broken up with her boyfriend, so we decided to go out."

Burt smiled. "I knew on our first date that I would marry her. No doubt. She was just… beautiful, inside and out.

"Anyway, about a year later, and a month after I had asked her to marry me, a conversation came up. It was one of our serious ones that always happened after we'd go to the movies. We were sitting in this little restaurant and we started talking about death- which was a big part of the movie we had just seen. During that conversation, she told me she was an organ donor. I wasn't, and I had never really bothered to think about it too much, so I asked her why she was one. She shrugged her shoulders and, as though it were the simplest thing in the world, said, "Well, if I don't need them anymore, and someone else does, why wouldn't I be one?""

Blaine wiped his sweaty hands on his pants as he tried to keep the tears out of his eyes. He didn't want Burt to stop, he knew that, but it was all still hard to hear.

"She always took excellent care of herself," Burt continued. "She said it was because she wanted to be able to give someone- or someone'_s_- what she called "the ultimate gift" one day. She donated blood, and bone marrow, regularly. I would go with her sometimes, and she'd always come back out smiling. One day I asked her how she was able to do that, cause if it were me, I'd probably come out lookin' like a truck ran over me, and she'd just shrug and say that it made her happy. She'd tell me that she hoped it truly helped someone who deserved it.

"Lizzy was the most selfless, caring person that I knew. She always wanted to help people. It kinda freaked me out sometimes."

Burt paused to take a sip of his coffee and, before Blaine even knew what he was doing, he was asking a question. "What do you mean?"

Burt was surprised that Blaine was actually wanting more added to the conversation, but he hid it well. "One night, about two years after Kurt was born," Burt said, putting his cup back down, "we were in bed and she told me that she didn't want to live to be "too old." I couldn't believe it when she said it. I thought I had misheard or something. But, she explained to me that if she got too old, her body wouldn't be working properly. She said her organs would all be old and no one would get them then. She said if she died and nothing came from it, she would feel like she died in vain.

"I told her that she sounded ridiculous. I said it didn't matter if she died old, it wouldn't be in vain, because Kurt's here, and his kids would be here, and her memory would live on forever.

"Lizzy said she knew that, but it's just how she felt. She felt as though her life, and death, would have less of a meaning if she didn't do all that she could to help someone else live."

Burt shrugged. "Still can't say I fully get it. And I know that, if she can see me, she's rollin' her eyes and sayin' I never will. Now, I know that she would never have wanted to leave Kurt while he was still so young. What mother would? But, I also know that she wouldn't come back for anything. She would be so happy that she didn't die in vain. She would take one look at you Blaine, and she'd be happy with the way things turned out.

"Kurt's a good kid. He misses her, of course, but I think I've done her proud in the raising-a-child department. I know that if she had a choice to come back, or to have things remain the way they are, she'd choose the latter. She'd choose you in a heartbeat, Blaine."

Blaine broke eye contact with Burt to quickly wipe a tear from his eye.

"What she wouldn't like, however," Burt continued, bringing Blaine's attention back to him, "is you spending days- weeks even- hiding from the world. She would want you to live every moment of every day to its fullest."

"I just…" Blaine sniffed, "Sometimes I feel like I'm undeserving. Like someone else could have benefited so much more from it; Could have done more to honor her life."

"Listen to me, kid." Burt leaned forward in his seat, "As long as you don't waste your life away, as long as you do anything and everything you want to do during your lifetime, then there's no way you could let her down."

More tears fell from Blaine's eyes. He looked down as he wiped them away with his hands, wishing they'd just stop and come back when he was alone.

"Mr.- Um, Burt?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you… I mean, if you don't mind, would you tell me what happened… to her? I know she got into a car accident… but that's about it."

Burt nodded, then began. "She had gone to visit her sister, who lived about fifteen minutes outside of Columbus, for the day. We were all supposed to go for the weekend, but Kurt was just getting over being sick and we didn't want to take him out. She wasn't going to go at all, but I knew she wanted to see her sister, so I told her to go. I knew I could take care of Kurt for the weekend just fine, but she refused to stay that long. She said she'd go for the day and that was it.

"She called the house just before leaving her sister's place that night. They had lost track of time- something they always did when they were together- and it was already getting dark outside. I told her to just wait and come back the next day. I told her that Kurt was fine, I was fine, and it would be better for her to stay with her sister. She, of course, wouldn't listen to me. Kurt takes after her a lot in that department.

"Anyway, she told me she wanted to be home, and she assured me she would be fine. She said she'd driven home in the dark plenty of times. She told me she loved me, and to give Kurt a kiss goodnight since he'd already be in bed by the time she got home, then we hung up.

"The house phone rang two hours later, which would have been right about when she should have been pulling up. It was a police officer…" Burt paused to take a breath.

"You don't have to continue," Blaine said, knowing this was hard on the man. He felt bad for asking about it now.

"No, I'm fine, kid. Just needed a second." He cleared his throat. "Um, the officer told me that there had been a bad accident and Lizzy had been rushed to the hospital. He didn't know anything on her condition, just told me what had happened and where I needed to go. It had been raining earlier and a dip in the road had filled with water. Lizzy must not have seen it; she didn't go around and instead went right into it. She lost control of the car, over-corrected, and hit right into a tree at fifty miles an hour.

"I hung up as soon with the officer as soon as I got all of the information, rushed into Kurt's room, and grabbed him up from his bed. I probably scared him half to death, but I didn't even notice his reaction. I just carried him downstairs, grabbed the car keys, and headed to the OSU Medical Center.

"We had to wait for a little bit once we got there cause the doctor couldn't come out right away. When he did come out, I could see on his face that it wasn't good. I went off to the side, away from Kurt, and that's when he told me that she didn't make it. She had already been gone for a while. There was nothing that could have been done for her. She had extensive brain damage, internal bleeding, both legs were broken, and her left arm was broken. Even if all of the surgeries she would have needed had been successful, she would have never talked, walked, or been able to do much of anything at all ever again. It was just all too much for her body to take."

Blaine was crying again. He didn't even bother to hide the tears this time. Burt handed him a napkin and, after a sniffy "thank you", Blaine wiped his eyes and nose with it.

"Anything else you wanna know?" Burt asked in a soft tone. "I don't mind answerin' any questions that you have."

Blaine took a deep breath, thinking for a quick moment, then shook his head. He figured he had learned enough for the day.

Burt nodded, "Alright. Your mom should be gettin' back soon and we can eat. I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick. Will you be okay out here?"

"Yes," Blaine replied, looking back at Burt, "Thank you, Burt… for everything."

"Anytime."

Burt stood and began to walk off when Blaine called to him.

"Burt?"

"Yeah?" He replied, turning back to Blaine.

"Um, when… When is Kurt's grounding over?"

"A little less than two weeks-"

Blaine nodded.

"But, for you," Burt continued, "He's free anytime."

* * *

><p><strong>I know this chapter really doesn't seem that long, but it took forever to write. I thought it would be so easy, but it has been my most difficult one so far. I hope the stuff about Kurt's mom didn't seem unrealistic to you guys. I based her off of a couple of people that I know. One was my grandma that just passed away. She died at 89, but I will always remember her telling me that she never wanted to live to be too old. She wanted to die before she was unable to care for her self... She ended up dying two months after she became unable to take care of herself. <strong>

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews and everything else! You guys are so amazing :)**

**Tumblr: notalone88**


	22. Again

_"What's the point of all this? I'm so tired, Mommy! What's the point?"_

Blaine knew he could have gone to Kurt's place anytime. He knew he didn't have to wait out Kurt's grounding period. But, he did anyway. _Almost_, at least. He decided to go on Kurt's last day of being grounded, not that he even knew it was his last day.

He felt he needed some time to think everything over. Once Blaine's mom had joined Burt and him for lunch, they had talked even more. Blaine had asked more questions, albeit a lot simpler than the ones before, and Burt had asked some of his own as well. When he got home that day, he went back to his room, changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, and slept for hours. Even though Burt had helped a lot, depression wasn't something you could just get over. It took time. It wasn't just mental, but a physical exhaustion as well, and the day had completely drained him.

The next day he turned on a lamp and did some homework, which had been piling up, but still stayed in his room. The day after that he turned on his light, got dressed, did homework, and came downstairs for lunch, but otherwise stayed in his room. Two days after that, he was heading back to school.

All of this time, he was in deep thought about everything he had been told as well. He wanted to make a rational decision. Not one based solely on emotions… even though, no matter what, emotions had almost _everything_ to do with it.

But, you can only think things over for so long, and that's what brought Blaine to driving to Kurt's house on a cloudy Saturday afternoon.

He didn't call ahead, no matter how much he knew it was the proper thing to do. If he called ahead, he might over-think things too much and back out. He knew it sounded ridiculous, especially for a guy who just spent a week and a half thinking things over, but this was a big deal for him so he had the right to sound ridiculous.

He pulled into the driveway, took a deep breath, then turned off the car and got out. As he shut his car door, he looked up at the house. It seemed so intimidating right now. He wasn't exactly sure why. Maybe because of what happened the last time he was here. Maybe because he was about to face Kurt, and whoever else was in the house. Maybe because he had practically been in a cocoon for weeks, and this was his first real outing he'd been on- besides school. He didn't know, and it didn't really matter, he was just nervous. Very, _very_ nervous.

He made his way up to the house, ringing the doorbell and patiently- or at least he told himself to be patient- waiting for someone to answer.

In just a few seconds time, tons of thoughts rolled through his head.

_What if no one's home?_

_What if Kurt answers?_

_What if Kurt's not home?_

_What if it's the wrong house?_

_No, it's not the wrong house, you idiot!_

_Someone answer!_

_No, don't!_

_Maybe-_

The door opened, stopping all of his thoughts.

A woman stood there, a dish towel in her hand, and smiled softly at him when her eyes met his.

"Hello," Blaine began, "I'm-"

"You're Blaine," She said, not even asking. She just knew.

"Um, yes, I- I am."

She waved him in with the dish towel. "Come on in," She said, stepping aside. "I'm Carole, Kurt's step-mom."

Blaine came into the house and Carole closed the door behind him.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you, Ma'am… How- How did you know who I was?" He asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

"I remember you," Carole replied, her smile fading, but still giving him a sweet, motherly look, "from before. You left out of the house as Burt and I were coming in."

"Oh, um, right," Blaine glanced down at the ground. "Sorry about that. It was rude of me to just run past you. Honestly though, I didn't really even notice you there… God, that sounds rude. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry," She said, laughing slightly. "I understand. You were upset. Are you here to see Kurt?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Just Carole is fine, hon. He's in his room. You know where it is, right?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Would you like a drink before you go up?"

"No, thank you, M- Carole."

Carole moved out of the way of the staircase, and Blaine made his way up.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything," She called back to him.

"Thank you," He replied from halfway up the stairs.

He continued taking slow, deep breaths all the way to Kurt's door. Then, after one final moment to collect himself, he knocked lightly.

Hearing a quiet, "Come in," Blaine opened the door.

Kurt was sitting at his desk, doing homework, and didn't bother to look up at whoever was there.

Blaine closed the door behind him, then after a few seconds of silence, cleared his throat.

Kurt's head jerked up and, at the site of Blaine, he quickly stood. His eyes were wide, clearly in shock that Blaine was actually there. "Blaine," He said, his voice slightly higher than usual.

"Kurt."

Blaine took a couple of small steps closer to Kurt, "Um, I- I came to talk to you. Is that okay?"

"Of course," Kurt replied with a nod. "Of course, it's fine."

Kurt turned his chair around and sat back down. "You- You can sit too," He said, motioning to his bed.

"Thanks," Blaine replied, quickly walking to the bed, sitting down, and facing Kurt. Their eyes met and Blaine had to take yet another deep breath before beginning.

"Before you, Kurt, I had never given a guy a second thought. Yes, there were guys I thought were cute, and a couple that even thought I was cute too, but I never let it go any further than cheesy flirting."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed. "Why?" He asked before even thinking. It's just, he couldn't understand that. He would have _killed_ to have a guy wanting him.

"I made a promise to myself when I was young, to never get attached. To anyone. I have friends, and I'm close to my mom, but that's it.

"I- I always knew having a heart transplant meant that I wouldn't have a super long life. Especially having one at such a young age. I mean, yeah, I'll have a much longer one than what I would have had _without_ the transplant, but I'm not gonna be able to be some ninety year old with no teeth, using a walker to get around."

Kurt scrunched his nose up, "That doesn't sound all that great anyway."

Blaine smiled sadly, "That's easy to say when it's an option for you."

"Blaine, I..." Kurt's voice trailed off. He honestly didn't know what to say.

Blaine stood back up, unable to stay still. He walked over to Kurt's bookshelf and looked at a few pictures, then turned back to Kurt. "I realized I'm probably not going to live long enough to even have gray hair, and I've accepted that… but that's why finding out the truth about you hurt so bad. I broke my own rule with you. I got attached. I asked you out, I kissed you, I…" He paused, trying to find the right words. "You were the exception to my rule. And, when I found out who you really were, it hurt more than it should have because I felt I had broken my rule for someone who didn't even feel the same way about me."

"But I do," Kurt quickly defended, standing up. "I do feel the same way."

Blaine looked away from him, tears clouding his vision.

"Look, I know you don't believe me, and you have every right not to, but I _do_ have feelings for you, Blaine." Kurt's voice broke, but he continued on. "I know I shouldn't have lied about who I was, I know I should have been honest from the beginning, but I wasn't. I screwed up. But I never, ever led you on. My feelings for you were never false, Blaine. Never."

Blaine didn't speak, and he continued to stare down at the ground. His arms were crossed and he kept moving his jaw around, as though he were trying not to cry.

"I know actions speak louder than words," Kurt continued, "but I haven't had the chance to do anything since I was grounded. I've been writing in a notebook though." He turned to his desk and picked up a small, green notebook. "Every time I remember something about you that I like, I write it down."

He walked over to Blaine, putting the notebook in his view. "Read it," He said, handing it to him.

Blaine took it, but simply stared at it as Kurt walked to the edge of his bed and sat down.

"Go on, read it."

Blaine slowly walked to Kurt's bed and sat down beside him. He carefully opened the book to the first page.

_His eyes._

That's all it said.

He looked over to Kurt.

"There's one thing on each page," Kurt informed him.

Blaine nodded and turned the page.

_His laugh._

Next page.

_His honesty._

_How much he cares._

_His nose._

_Skin tone._

Blaine couldn't help but laugh at that one.

_The way he makes me feel._

_His jokes (however cheesy they may be)._

_How good he is to people, whether they deserve his kindness or not._

_How his eyebrows furrow and his forehead gets all scrunchy when he's confused._

_His lips._

_Blaine blushed._

_His insane love of Pop-Tarts._

_How dapper he dresses._

_His hair gelled._

_His hair not gelled._

Blaine stopped there. He went to speak, but Kurt spoke before he got the chance.

"The promise you made to yourself was stupid, you know?"

He gave Kurt that confused look, the one Kurt liked so much, so Kurt explained.

"No one knows when they're gonna die, Blaine. I mean, this house could set on fire after you leave and I could die, then you would long outlive me. No one knows when their last day on Earth will be, and not everyone makes a promise to never get attached because of that. If we all lived like that then no one would be happy. You can't be happy living that way, Blaine."

Blaine nodded, setting the book down on Kurt's bed before replying. "I know. I realized that a couple of days after Burt and I talked."

Now it was time for Kurt to look confused. "You and my dad talked?"

"You didn't know?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, we did. But, that's not the point right now.

"Anyway, I realized that I was given a chance to live, and I wasn't taking that chance at all. I thought I was living to my full potential, but I know now that I wasn't. At all. I want to now though. Whether I live fifty years, or five, I want those years to be everything they can be. I don't want to waste time in my room, depressed over things that are done and over with or that I can't control. I want to be _happy_, Kurt. I want to know what it's like to truly be happy. I now know that that's not what I was before."

Kurt smiled. "That's great, Blaine. Everyone deserves a happy life, no matter how long or short it is. I mean, if I only live to be thirty then I'll be fine as long as I did all that I set my mind to do during those thirty years."

"I agree."

After a shared smile they looked away from each other, Blaine staring down at the floor and Kurt looking across the room, toward the door.

It was silent for a moment, then Blaine stood suddenly. "There's more," He said, then began to pace back and forth.

"Okay," Kurt replied slowly.

Blaine simply continued pacing.

"That's makin' me kind of nervous, Blaine."

Blaine didn't seem to hear him. "When I was talking to Burt, after our first conversation and once my mom had joined us for lunch, we talked some more. I couldn't help but ask questions about you and your mom," He said, glancing at Kurt occasionally. "Burt told me some stories. I remember you telling me some of them when you came to my house a few weeks ago, but Burt telling me the same thing really made it stick out for me."

Blaine stopped there, even with Kurt giving him a "go on" look.

"So… What is it?" Kurt finally asked.

Blaine suddenly stopped pacing. He was standing directly in front of Kurt, just a few feet away. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but I want you to know that I'm perfectly okay with it."

Kurt nodded. "Okay," He said, still so confused.

"I- I was wondering…" He stopped, took a deep breath, then just blurted it out, "I was wondering if you'd like to listen to my heart."

Kurt was pretty sure _his_ heart stopped at that moment. He felt the tears immediately come to his eyes, but he didn't let them fall.

He didn't trust his voice, so, after a moment, he shakily nodded.

"Is that a yes?" Blaine asked.

Another nod.

"Do you want to right now?"

Nod.

"Okay… Um, is it okay for me to lay on the bed? It'll probably be more comfortable that way."

Kurt cleared his throat, standing up. "Yes. Yeah, that's fine."

Blaine walked over to the side of the bed, then laid down flat on his back. Kurt picked up the green notebook and put it back on his desk, then went to the other side of the bed and climbed over to lay beside him.

"Y-You can put your arm around my waist," Blaine said as Kurt scooted closer to him.

Kurt nodded. He turned fully on his side, one arm curled underneath him, clutching at his own shirt, and the other over Blaine's waist. For a moment it was just like they were cuddling, then Kurt slowly laid his head on Blaine's chest.

Blaine wasn't sure where to put his arms at first, but as Kurt laid his head down, Blaine wrapped them around him, hugging him.

Kurt heard and felt the steady _thump, thump, thump,_ as he closed his eyes. His bottom lip began to quiver, and tears silently began making their way down his face and onto Blaine's shirt.

He couldn't even begin to describe how he felt. There were so many emotions inside of him, all moving around and mixing. He wished he could find the words to tell Blaine how much this meant to him. He wished he could thank him over and over and over, but he wasn't even sure his vocal cords would work right now. It was all so overwhelming.

Listening to Blaine's heartbeat was so soothing, but it was different from his mom. He didn't know what he was expecting, really. He kind of thought that it would be exactly the same. That it would sound the same. _Feel_ the same. But, it didn't... Maybe that's because it wasn't his mom's anymore. It was Blaine's heart, _his_ heartbeat, not his mom's.

No matter what, he would never hear her heartbeat, nor would he ever feel her arms wrapped around him again. That was taken from him when he was nine, and he'd never have it back.

He realized, though, that this was good too. Blaine felt protective, caring, loving, and gentle in a whole different way.

He snuggled closer to Blaine, the tears continuing to fall, and in return Blaine wrapped his arms around him even tighter.

Tears fell from Blaine's eyes as well. He knew now, without a single doubt, that he and Kurt would be in each others lives forever. They were connected. Whether it was as friends, or more than friends, it didn't matter. They'd always have each other.

Neither of them were sure how long they laid there, or how long they cried, or who fell asleep first, but they both knew that they would be okay if this moment never ended.

* * *

><p><strong>I wish I could draw. I have the last scene of this chapter in my head so clearly, but if I tried to draw it, they'd be stick people. It would be weird. But at least it's etched in my mind...<br>**

**Thank you so much for the reviews, alerts, favorites, and everything else. Y'all have made me tear up so many times!**

**Tumblr: notalone88**


	23. Visit

_"Why can't life ever just be simple?"_

"Tony Huesman!" Kurt exclaimed as he barged into Blaine's room.

Blaine jumped then quickly finished zipping and buttoning his pants. "Kurt! What the heck are you doing here?"

"I was looking up Tony Huesman," Kurt said, walking over to Blaine's bed and sitting down in his usual spot, his back against the headboard.

"We really need to start calling before going to each others places," Blaine replied absently. He looked over at Kurt, who was looking at Blaine, patting the bed for him to sit.

With a sigh, he dropped down on the other side of the bed, his back to his door so he was facing Kurt.

It had been three weeks since Blaine had come to Kurt's house and they'd fallen asleep curled up to one another. They woke up hours later and quietly, and slightly awkwardly, untangled themselves from each other. After a couple of silent minutes of just sitting on Kurt's bed, Blaine spoke up saying that, if Kurt was willing, he'd like to be friends again.

Kurt was very willing. He promised Blaine complete honesty. He said no matter what, he'd _always_ be honest with him, even if he didn't want to be.

Blaine said he shouldn't make a promise he couldn't keep, cause he's never known anyone to be one hundred percent honest all the time, and Kurt agreed. He promised he'd _try_ though. Kurt told him that he hoped one day they can be best friends again, because Blaine was _the_ best friend he ever had.

That night, when Blaine got home, he had a long talk with his mom. They talked about the date, Blaine finding out the truth, Diane overhearing Kurt, and everything that had happened since. She was concerned about Blaine forgiving Kurt that easily. Not because she didn't want her son to have Kurt as a friend, but because she saw the repercussions of what happened before, and she was afraid it might happen again. Also, she was afraid that maybe Kurt was a completely different person from the one Blaine used to know.

Blaine understood, but he told her that he believes Kurt is being honest now, and he's sick of wasting time. He didn't want to be upset with Kurt any longer. Time would tell if he was making a wrong choice, and he'd deal with it then if he needed to, but for now… he wanted his friend back.

Getting back to being comfortable with one another happened a lot easier than either of them expected. Within a week, Blaine was back to texting Kurt what color he felt that day, which made Kurt get a huge smile on his face, and let him know that they'd be okay.

Which led them to now… Kurt feeling comfortable enough to simply walk into Blaine's room and plop down on his bed. And Blaine being okay with it enough to go along with whatever Kurt was talking about.

"Okay, you were saying?" Blaine asked, sitting Indian style on his bed.

"Right. I was at home, looking up heart transplant recipients, and came across Tony Huesman-"

"Yes, I know who he is," Blaine interrupted, "I _have_ read over the Wikipedia page many a time."

Kurt nodded. "Okay, good. So, you should know that he lived for thirty-one years after his heart transplant and died because of cancer. He got the transplant in nineteen seventy-eight, at twenty years old."

"Kurt, what are you getting at?"

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe medical science and technology has advanced since nineteen seventy-eight. Also, him dying of cancer had nothing to do with his heart. Even his wife said in an article that his heart stayed strong and healthy until the end."

Blaine gave him a look and Kurt shrugged, "I did a little more than a Wikipedia search."

This was one of the ways Blaine knew Kurt wasn't lying when he said his friendship with Blaine prior to the truth coming out wasn't a lie. He was still the same Kurt now, albeit more open about his own life, but he still acted the same. There wasn't some drastic attitude change. He was still… Kurt.

"Okay, and might I ask _why_ you did this?"

"Because I know it still bothers you. You don't let it control you, but it still bothers you. So it bothers me… Anyway, after reading that, I felt more positive. I think he would have lived a lot longer if not for the cancer. _Also_, it's possible to have a second heart transplant."

"Let me guess. Erik Compton."

"Exactly!" Kurt exclaimed, bouncing a little on the bed. "He received his first one at twelve, in ninety-two, then his second in two thousand eight. And he does golf stuff all the time."

"Golf _stuff_?" Blaine questioned with a laugh.

Kurt glared at him, although the small smirk on his face made it lose most of its seriousness, "Fine, make jokes. I thought it was pretty good news though."

Blaine smiled, leaning forward and patting Kurt's leg. "It's very good news. Thank you, Kurt."

Kurt shrugged, "No big deal."

"It is to me," Blaine replied. "None of my other friends have ever researched all of that stuff for me. It means a lot."

Kurt looked away, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"Wait," Blaine said, cracking his back before crawling over the bed to sit against the headboard beside Kurt, "Who let you in? I thought my mom was gone."

"She is. Your dad let me in."

Blaine's eyebrows furrowed, "My dad? He's home?"

"Unless he has an identical robot twin, yes."

"Huh. I thought he went into work today."

Kurt looked over at him, "You… You didn't even know your dad was here? Have you not been out of your room today?"

"I went down for breakfast, then again to talk to my mom before she left. Guess he was just in his office."

"He did seem pretty busy when he answered the door," Kurt reasoned. They were quiet for a moment, then Kurt just felt the need to ask, "What do you guys do on his days off?"

Blaine shrugged. "He doesn't really have many days off. When he does, he usually goes golfing or whatever with his work friends. We aren't that close."

Kurt had already figured Blaine and his dad weren't best of friends, but he hadn't thought Blaine would just shrug it off so easily, like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Why?" He asked.

"I don't know," Blaine replied, turning his head to face Kurt, "we just never were. He was always closer with my brother, and I was closer to my mom. My dad always takes a couple of vacation days when Cooper comes into town and they spend a ridiculous amount of time together. I just always stuck by my mom… or she stuck with me, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

Blaine was silent for a moment, as though he were trying to figure out the right way to put it. "After the transplant, my dad just became more distant with me. We used to do stuff before. I mean, I couldn't do much, cause I was usually always sick, but when I'd feel okay we'd do little things together. Not afterward, though."

"Does- Does he know about me? About who I am? He didn't seem to act any different with me today."

"He knows," Blaine replied. "My mom tells him everything. He doesn't really have a problem with that though." Blaine took a deep breath and shook his head, "Honestly, I'm not sure _what_ his problem is."

"You've never bothered to ask?" Kurt asked, honestly curious. He just couldn't imagine his father suddenly being distant with him and himself not asking what was going on… especially if it had lasted for almost nine years.

"I haven't really thought about it."

Kurt gave him a _look_, and Blaine sighed. "Okay, I have thought about it… but I'm sort of scared to ask."

"How come?"

Blaine turned his body to better face Kurt. "My dad is- he's like a stranger to me, you know? He has been since I was nine. The thought of having a real conversation with him kind of terrifies me."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Blaine! You should _not_ be terrified to talk to your dad! I mean, it's your _dad_!"

Blaine couldn't help but laugh at Kurt's expression. "That's easy for you to say. You and your dad have a great relationship."

"I know, but…" Kurt sighed, "I know I've only seen him a few times, and he's not exactly the most talkative guy, but he doesn't seem scary… unless your that idiot he works with."

"That's John," Blaine replied with a nod, "He's extremely lazy, and a little slow- probably because his parents are cousins- but dad won't fire him."

Kurt grimaced. "Ew. That's gross. _Cousins?_ Why- No!" Kurt pointed at Blaine, "No, that won't work, You're trying to distract me. Don't change the subject!"

"Well, it's all true… And technically we already changed the subject when we started talking about my dad because that's not originally what we were talking about."

"Yes, but we had finished the previous conversation, and, if I'm not mistaken, _you_ were the one who asked about who let me in."

Blaine sighed. "Touche."

Kurt nodded, then suddenly reached over and grabbed Blaine's wrist. He looked at his watch, then set Blaine's wrist back down. "I have to go," He said as he started to scoot off of the bed. "My brother wants me to help him move around the furniture in his room."

Blaine's eyebrows furrowed as he stood to walk Kurt out, "So, you came all the way here, to _my_ house, to tell me one thing, just to go all the way back to _your_ house, which is where you needed to be in the first place?"

Kurt, who was a step in front of Blaine as they walked out of his room, simply nodded. "Yup."

Blaine tried, and failed, to control his grin. "Well, thank you."

"Like I said before, no problem."

They were quiet as they walked down the stairs, but once they reached the bottom, Blaine spoke. "Kurt."

"Yeah?" Kurt asked, turning to face him.

"I, um, I have an appointment in Columbus on Saturday. It's pretty boring, but afterward my parents and I go out to eat. With Cooper gone, it's just me with only them to talk to, so I was wondering if… um, if you'd like to come. If you're not busy," He quickly added. "I mean, I know it's not a very exciting way to spend a Saturday, so I understand if-"

"Blaine," Kurt stopped him, smiling, "You're rambling, and I'd love to go. Just text me what time you'll be picking me up."

Blaine nodded, taking a deep breath. "Okay."

Blaine moved in front of Kurt and opened the door for him. When Kurt reached the doorway, he turned back to Blaine, "I mean what I said though. You shouldn't be afraid to talk to your dad. I couldn't imagine my life without being close to mine… Just, think about it, okay?"

Blaine nodded. "I will."

Kurt smiled at him. "Good. Bye, Blaine."

"Later, Kurt," Blaine replied, smiling back at him. He watched to make sure Kurt got to his car safely, even though they were in one of the safest neighborhoods around, then waved to him before Kurt backed up and drove off. He closed the front door and sighed, looking over in the direction of his dad's office. He thought about going in there for a moment, before changing his mind and going back to his room.

* * *

><p><strong>No cliffhanger or any type of overly-emotional thing! YAY! haha <strong>

**Again, I'd like to say, if there were any mistakes in this chapter, blame Google!  
><strong>

**Thank you all so much for the reviews on the last chapter... I don't think I've ever made so many people cry! A lot of you thought the last chapter was the _last_ chapter, but fear not, I have a few more before this story is over. I've had the ending of my story since I started the story, and the last chapter was not it :)**

**And lastly, as always:**

**Tumblr: notalone88  
><strong>

**Edit: I hope I did not offend anyone with the "cousins" thing. My grandma's first husbands brother married his 1st cousin and, because of that, 3 of their 7 kids were mentally slow. I know it's rare to happen, but it does happen. However, if you'd like to marry your cousin, I have nothing against that. Again, hope I didn't offend anyone.  
><strong>


	24. Drive

_"Things that you never thought would be routine, suddenly are... and it just sucks."_

Saturday morning, around eleven o'clock, Blaine's dad pulled into the Hummel's driveway. Diane was sitting beside him, and Blaine was anxiously waiting in the back.

He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. He knew it wasn't because of having to go to the hospital though. The tests, while very annoying, stopped making him anxious a long time ago.

Okay, so maybe he _was_ sure why he was nervous. He and Kurt were doing fine now, but they had never had a full day like this. Not with Blaine's parents around too. This was just so, so nerve wracking for him… He wondered if it were the same for Kurt too.

"Is he coming?" Nathan asked, looking back at Blaine through the rear view mirror.

Blaine read over the reply text that had just come through. "Yeah, he's coming out right now."

As if on cue, the front door opened and Kurt stepped out. Blaine watched as he look back into the house, spoke to someone, nodded, then closed the door.

He smiled at Blaine through the window on his way to the car, and Blaine smiled back, while on the inside he thought about how Kurt didn't seem nervous at all. God, that wasn't fair!

Kurt went to the right side of the car and opened the door, then got inside. "Hello," He greeted as he closed the door.

"Hello, Kurt," Diane replied, glancing back to smile at him.

"Hello," Nathan said with a quick nod.

Kurt put on his seat belt as Nathan began to back out of the driveway. "Sorry I took a while coming out," He began, "My step-brother dropped his glass of tea and it splattered on my pants and shoes, so I had to change really quick."

"It's fine, hon," Diane replied. "We weren't there very long anyway."

Kurt looked over at Blaine for the first time since getting in the car and smiled at him. This made Blaine notice that he had been _staring_ at Kurt since he got into the car. "Hi," Kurt said, speaking quieter than before.

"Hi," Blaine answered. He blinked a couple of times, forcing his eyes away from Kurt, and took a deep breath. "How's your week been?" He asked, trying to be less creepy.

Kurt shrugged and looked forward. "Same as usual. So, sucky."

"How come?"

"Just… people."

"The people at your school?"

Kurt nodded. "The people at my school."

"Wanna talk about it?" Blaine asked softly. All the things he had been worried about earlier had disappeared, and now his only concern was about Kurt.

"I'd rather forget it, actually, but I haven't been doing a good job at that."

"What's going on at school, Kurt?" Diane asked, her eyebrows furrowing as she turned to look back at him.

Blaine wished more than anything that she wouldn't have listened, or at least she would have pretended not to, but Kurt didn't seem to mind.

"Just some guys at my school that don't like me very much… Well, they don't like me at all, honestly."

"What don't they like?"

"Who I am… My voice, my clothes, my… _"choices"_ as they call it. They mess with the whole glee club, but they pick on me more than the others because I'm gay."

"Do they hit you?" Nathan asked.

Blaine was shocked by the question, to say the least. He didn't even think his dad had been paying attention.

Kurt shook his head. "No… They push me into lockers sometimes, but nothing more than that."

Everyone was silent for a moment, then Nathan asked his next question. "Do your parents know about this?"

"Not… Not everything," Kurt answered, seeming uneasy for the first time. "It's never anything too serious anyway. I mean, they know about how I, and the other kids in glee, get slushied sometimes… and my Dad's gotten a couple of anonymous phone calls in the past with jocks saying some cruel and stupid things, but that's all they know."

"You should tell them," Diane said. "Bullying is serious, Kurt. It's not something to be taken lightly."

"My Dad's gone to the school more times than I can count for the stuff he does know about. He's amazing, actually, but it's the principal that does nothing. Plus, I don't want to add more to my dad's stress. He's got enough on his plate. I'm fine. I mean, it's not like I don't get in a few good words in response to their idiocy every now and then. My parents would just want to take me out of the school if they knew everything, and I don't want to leave my friends."

"Safety comes first, Kurt," Nathan replied, looking very serious. "Always safety."

Kurt nodded. "I know. If it ever got too bad, I'd let my parents know. I won't let it get out of hand."

"Promise?" Diane asked, eying him.

"Promise."

Blaine hadn't said much… or, well, anything really, since his parents had started talking. He was pretty sure his voice had just left his body at the state of shock he was in. He had been so nervous that his parents wouldn't speak to Kurt at all during this trip because of everything that happened in the past. He knew they had all been polite and friendly the times Kurt had come over since then, but he was afraid that during a long trip, they'd ignore him, or their _true_ feelings for him would come out.

It seemed their true feelings weren't bad at all. Actually, Blaine couldn't have even imagined them being nicer. He didn't think he'd heard his dad say that much in a very long time.

"Blaine's always good to talk to, too," Diane said, shifting in her seat to face forward again. "He's had to deal with a lot of bullying in the past."

Kurt looked over at Blaine. "Yeah, he's told me," He said, remembering their first conversation.

"I swear, that trip to the hospital was just as bad as all the ones from when he was younger, if not worse."

Kurt looked very confused. "Wait, hospital?"

Blaine sucked in a breath. "Yeah. I hadn't really told you _everything_ about me being bullied. Just the basic outline of it all."

"What… What happened?"

"The school I went to before Dalton wasn't exactly "gay friendly," as you know."

Kurt nodded.

"I got harassed, a lot. Stuff written on my locker, notes stuffed _in_ my locker, people saying things as they walked by. I never showered after gym because that would have just been suicide. I could handle all of that though. I didn't like it, but I was handling it…

"Then, out of nowhere, it got out of control. I got the living crap beat out of me and it was… it was bad."

"Oh my god," Kurt replied, shocked.

"He's under-exaggerating," Nathan said, the anger in his voice very clear. "He was in the hospital for three weeks. Two of which he doesn't even remember. He had a broken rib, bruises everywhere, sprained arm, head was practically bashed in."

"Dad, it was not bashed in."

"Tell that to the twenty stitches that was on the back of your head."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Blaine! Who would do something like that? That's awful!"

Blaine shrugged. "Just bullies who didn't like who I was… who I _am_."

Kurt stared at Blaine, who was looking straight ahead, for a moment. He had so many questions about what had happened.

_Why would they do that?_

_Did he know the people well?_

_Did they get punished for what they did?_

He wanted to ask, but he could also see that Blaine was uncomfortable now. He knew it must still be a very sore subject for him, and seemingly his parents too, so he left it there.

Everyone was silent for a a couple of minutes, just staring out of their windows, except for Nathan who was very focused on his driving.

Then, Blaine suddenly turned to look at Kurt. "Just be careful, okay?" He said quietly. "Sometimes you don't know it's as bad as it is, until it's too late."

Kurt stared blankly at him for a moment before nodding his head. "I'll be careful. I promise, I'll be careful."

Blaine nodded back at him and let out a deep breath, but the worry didn't leave his face.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so this wasn't exactly like it was supposed to turn out. I wasn't originally going to write out a whole chapter of them in the car, I was just going to have a small paragraph about the car ride, but I couldn't resist. Hope you guys don't mind. <strong>

**So, I'm taking 3 classes for Summer II (English II, Math, and American History) which means I won't get to write as much. However, my English and Math classes are online and I've finished math through July 4th, so I shouldn't take too long with my chapters. I'm gonna try and rotate stories so I don't neglect my others. Bare with me please and thank you :)**

**Also, I'm craving some freakishly angsty or hurt/comfort Klaine stories... but ones with happy endings, so if you guys know any, send me the name or link on here, or to my tumblr.**

**That being said...**

**Tumblr: notalone88**


	25. Lunch

_"Happy. That's all I wanna be. Just, happy."_

The rest of the trip was filled with much lighter conversation. Blaine's mom had some cute, or, in Blaine's opinion, embarrassing stories to tell about when he was young… Also some of when he was not so young.

After Blaine had heard more than enough about himself, and Kurt had laughed so hard he came very close to peeing his pants, Blaine forced Kurt to tell a couple of embarrassing stories about himself.

Even Nathan laughed more than a few times. His laugh wasn't as loud as Kurt, Blaine's, or Diane's, but Blaine still couldn't believe he was laughing at all. He wondered if maybe Kurt was right. Maybe his dad wasn't as scary as he always thought. Maybe something else was keeping distance between them.

He didn't think about it _too_ much though, because soon enough they were pulling into the hospital parking lot.

"Can't say I exactly like this place," Diane said, looking up at the building with a small grimace on her face.

"I think we all share that sentiment," Kurt responded, squinting as his eyes scaled the building in total distaste.

"Oh, Kurt, I feel like an idiot," Blaine said, honestly feeling like the biggest jerk. "I didn't even think about this being where your mom-"

"Blaine," Kurt held up his hand, stopping him, "it's fine. I've never been a big fan of hospitals, no matter what. I don't mind being here though. It's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely positive," Kurt assured him.

"Okay guys," Nathan said, sighing a little as he opened his door, "time to go in."

* * *

><p>When they got into the building, Diane and Nathan led the way as though they knew the place inside and out… which, Kurt figured, they probably all did. Kurt knew Blaine was a couple of steps behind them only because <em>he<em> was couple of steps behind.

He wasn't lying when he said he never liked hospitals. He never liked any place with doctors. He always felt they were just waiting to poke and prod him, even if they weren't there for him at all. He was pretty sure he had a low case of White Coat Syndrome, but he was able to easily hide his fears, which he was happy about.

They stopped suddenly, at least it was sudden to Kurt, who hadn't really been paying attention, and then Diane turned and opened the door to her right.

"You guys all take a seat," Diane said, "and I'll get the forms."

As they sat down, Kurt looked over at Blaine, who didn't appear to be nervous at all. "You don't mind coming here _at all_?" Kurt questioned, nudging Blaine's elbow with his own to get his attention.

Blaine shook his head, "Not really. It's annoying and everything, but the tests aren't painful." He smiled, "Plus, eating at my favorite restaurant always comes afterward, so I have something to look forward to."

"And you have more time with me, of course," Kurt added playfully.

"Of course."

"Okay," Diane began as she sat down in the empty seat Nathan had left between him and Blaine. "Let's get this baby filled out."

"Mom, I can do it," Blaine protested.

"No, no, I like doing it. It gives me the chance of asking nosy questions without you biting my head off."

Blaine sighed and rolled his eyes, but the small smile on his face let Kurt know he wasn't truly upset.

"Okay, shoot."

Diane cleared her throat. "Name?"

"Mom."

Diane nodded, mouthing 'Mom' as she began to write a name down.

"You're not seriously writing 'Mom' down, are you?" He asked, trying to look at the paper.

"Oh, you mean you didn't _actually_ get your name legally changed to Mom… or rather, illegally, seeing you're under 18."

Blaine gave Diane a light glare, "Mother."

"Lighten up, hon. Now, let's get to the actual questions. Do you smoke?"

"No."

"Drink?"

"No."

"Ever? Even if you drink a sip, you have to let _them_ know."

"It does not say that on there, Mom."

"Maybe. Maybe not," She replied, moving the paper so it was further out of Blaine's view.

Blaine sighed. "Mom, I know how dangerous drinking is for me. I don't do it. Okay?"

She check-marked a box on the paper. "Next question. Are you sexually active? If so, for how long?"

Kurt bit his lip trying not to laugh at Blaine's face.

"Mother!" He exclaimed.

"What? I swear, that _is_ a question."

He groaned. "No."

"No, what? You're not sexually active, or you don't believe me?"

"I'm not sexually active," He replied through gritted teeth.

Diane let out a relieved breath. "Thank God. So, I guess I don't need to mark you as having any sexually transmitted diseases then?"

"Not unless I got something from birth, no."

"Don't worry, both your father and I are clean."

Blaine put his face in his hands. "Oh, God."

Kurt laughed, placing a hand on Blaine's back and patting it. "It's okay. One time my dad asked if I was sexually active by picking up some condoms in a waiting room and asking if I wanted one. There were other people in the waiting room too… _That's_ an awkward moment."

Blaine let out a deep breath as he glanced at Kurt, then looked over at his mother, "As great as this questionnaire has been, I think you can just fill out the rest yourself."

"Fair enough. I've found out all that I need to for the time being."

"Of course you have."

* * *

><p>Diane finished filling out the form while Kurt picked up a magazine that he and Blaine looked over together. Once Diane had handed in the form, it took about ten more minutes for a nurse to come out and call his name.<p>

"This'll be a while," Blaine said, looking over at Kurt. "If you want to go to the cafeteria or whatever then you can. I mean-"

"Blaine," Nathan interrupted, "He'll be fine. Don't keep the doctor waiting."

Blaine nodded and took a deep breath, then stood.

"Have fun?" Kurt asked more than said, not quite sure what to say.

Blaine looked back at him and glared, although the smile playing on his lips gave the glare less of an effect.

Once Blaine and Diane had left the room, Kurt looked back down at his magazine and continued reading. He wasn't really sure exactly what he should do. Nathan just sat there, staring straight ahead, as though he was having a whole conversation in his head.

Kurt glanced at him occasionally, seeing if his expression had changed, but it never did.

* * *

><p>They stayed that way for almost an hour before Nathan turned and looked at Kurt, "Would you like to go to the cafeteria? They'll probably be back there until around six and I haven't had any lunch."<p>

Kurt nodded, "Sure," He said, it taking a moment to find his voice. He hadn't expected Nathan to ever speak, and was thinking about how to start up a conversation himself, so it was a bit of a shock when Nathan said something.

The walk to the cafeteria was quiet, but quick, so it wasn't too awkward.

"Get whatever you want," Nathan said as he picked up a tray for himself, "I'm buying."

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Sir. I brought money."

"_Nathan_, Kurt. Just Nathan. And I don't care if you brought money, I'm still buying."

"Th- Thank you, Nathan."

"Mhm."

They each got their food; Nathan getting the meatloaf and mashed potato meal, and Kurt getting a turkey sandwich with fries, then got their drinks.

Kurt got them a seat as Nathan paid, then he came over and joined Kurt at the table.

To say Kurt was extremely nervous would have been the understatement of the year. He didn't know why, but he felt as though he needed to try and impress Nathan now that the two of them were alone. Almost like he was with his boyfriend's father… but he _wasn't!_ He and Blaine were nothing more than friends. Which he often told himself, over and over, that he was fine with. He didn't really ever expect them to be more than friends now, not after everything that had happened, but that didn't mean he couldn't dream… or wish… or hope.

"You'd think that hospitals would have healthier food options," Nathan said, bringing Kurt out of his thoughts. "I'm no health nut, but I can't help but feel they're simply trying to gain more patients."

Kurt laughed, his tension leaving him a little. "I know what you mean. I complained to the staff tons of times when my dad was in Lima Memorial."

Nathan got a slightly confused look on his face and Kurt knew he was curious, but didn't want to ask and seem rude.

"He had a heart attack," Kurt explained.

"_Oh_," Nathan replied, his face turning from confused to slightly shocked and concerned. "That must have been very hard for you."

"It was," Kurt agreed, "but he's okay now."

They were both silent for a moment, then Nathan spoke. "Are you two close?" He asked, and Kurt couldn't help but feel that he was asking for more than wondering about his relationship with his dad.

"Very," Kurt answered. "We weren't always. There was a middle school, and partial high school, phase where we were distant… but, once I was honest with him about who I was, we got really close again. I don't know what I'd do without him."

"But what if-" He quickly cut himself off, realizing he was about to ask something very inappropriate.

"What if he would have died?" Kurt asked for him. Now there was no doubt in his mind that Nathan was speaking about himself and Blaine.

Nathan sighed. "That was rude of me. I-"

"No, it's fine," Kurt assured him. He took a moment to think before answering. "If my dad would have died, I would have been devastated. I know I _can_ live without him, but I wouldn't want to. But, if that would have happened, at least I would have known, without one single doubt, that he loved me. And he would have known the same about me to him."

"You know," Nathan began, staring at Kurt as though he were in deep thought, "you're a very smart teenage boy."

Kurt smiled lightly. "Can I give you a little advice then?"

Nathan nodded. "Please."

"In my opinion, people need to stop worrying about the time they _may not_ have, and start doing something with the time they _do_ have."

Nathan nodded again, looking away from Kurt. If Kurt didn't know any better, he'd think that Nathan was tearing up.

"Talk to Blaine, Nathan," Kurt added, knowing what he needed to hear. "You two may be more alike than you think."

* * *

><p><strong>So sorry it's taken this long. School, while not hard, has taken a lot of time. Lots of essays! I wanted to update some of my other stories before coming back to this, but this just begged to be written :) Thank you for your patience!<strong>

**As always,**

**Tumblr: notalone88**


	26. Better

_"It was tough, but we made it. We always do. We always will."_

Kurt and Nathan went back to the waiting room, occasionally speaking, but usually in a comfortable silence.

About a half hour after five, Nathan stood up, which Kurt saw from the corner of his eye and made him look up from his magazine. Blaine and Diane were walking out. Blaine looked a little tired and annoyed, but otherwise okay.

"What's the verdict?" Nathan asked.

"New prescription," Blaine replied, rolling his eyes.

"Not just a stronger dose?"

Diane shook her head. "Afraid not."

"W-What does that mean?" Kurt asked, his heartbeat speeding up a little bit.

"Just a new slew of side effects to go through," Blaine answered with a sigh as Diane and Nathan led the way out of the room.

"What's the medication for?"

"To keep my blood pressure down. The blood pressure medicine I'm on now isn't keeping it down like it used to."

Kurt nodded. "Maybe you won't get all of the side effects."

Diane glanced back at them. "That's what we used to say."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed, so Blaine continued to explain. "I've always gotten all of the most annoying side effects every time I've started a new medication. I can pretty much guarantee I'll be trapped in my bed, or the bathroom, for at least three days after starting these new pills."

Kurt grimaced. "That really sucks."

"Very much so."

They all walked in silence for a moment. Kurt and Blaine were a few steps behind Diane and Nathan, so Kurt moved a little closer to Blaine to quietly ask him a question that had been on his mind all day.

"Blaine?"

"Yeah?"

"I remember you told me before that you go to these appointments once a year, right around the same time you got the heart, and… and I know that that's not for another couple of months."

"Oh-"

Kurt continued, not stopping to let him speak. "Now, I've been trying to let it go and not overreact or anything, but if something's wrong, please tell me. I promise, I'll be-"

"Kurt, Kurt!" Blaine stopped him. "You don't need to worry. We came early because of my old medicine. I can tell when they start to wear off. Kurt, if you were worried, you should have just said. It wouldn't do any good just to worry about it."

Kurt shrugged. "I've always been known for being overdramatic. I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I couldn't let it go."

"Well, never be afraid to be overdramatic with me." Blaine smiled, bumping his shoulder with Kurt's, "I kinda like that about you."

Kurt smiled as they exited the hospital and walked to the car.

* * *

><p>Kurt was dropped off at home a little after ten o'clock. Once he thanked Nathan and Diane one last time for paying for lunch and dinner, then told Blaine goodbye, he walked to his door. He unlocked it, turned back to wave as Nathan pulled out of the driveway, then went inside.<p>

"Everything go okay?" Burt asked from his spot in the living room as Kurt relocked the door.

"Yeah," Kurt called back to him. He walked to the living room and plopped down on the couch, laying his head on the armrest. "He has to start new medication tomorrow, but not for anything serious."

"That's good," Burt replied with a nod, muting the television. "His parents good to you?"

Kurt couldn't help the small smirk that formed on his lips at his fathers caring questions. He tried to act so nonchalant as he asked, but Kurt knew that he actually wanted to know. "Yes, they're nice. His dad's a little distant," Kurt shrugged, "but so is Blaine."

"Blaine's distant? With you?" Burt asked, eying Kurt as though he didn't believe it.

"Not so much with me anymore, but with his dad he is. I don't think either of them realize just how much alike they are. Blaine's afraid to get close to people cause he doesn't know how long he'll live; Nathan's afraid to get close to Blaine because he doesn't know how long Blaine'll live."

"Sounds a little crazy to me. No one knows right when they're gonna die."

"That's what I said!" Kurt exclaimed, raising a hand in Burt's direction. He sighed as his hand slapped back down on his leg. "I don't know, but I'm tired. I'm gonna go to bed."

"Okay, kid."

"And I think I'll go over to Blaine's tomorrow. He wasn't very happy about starting new medication, he said he always gets the side effects, so I wanna help him, or get his mind off of it, or something."

Burt looked up at Kurt as his son stood. "You're a good kid, Kurt."

Kurt smiled and walked over to his dad, leaning down to hug Burt who was sitting in his recliner. "I love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Kurt."

* * *

><p>Blaine fell back onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He hated starting new medication. He almost dreaded it more than having surgery. It was a pretty tight race.<p>

It shouldn't have to be such a big deal, but he never got one or two side effects. No, he got all the major ones. And, luckily for him, the major ones included: nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dizziness, headaches and fatigue. _Yay_.

"Ugh," He said to himself as he thought about it. Last time he had to change a medication, three years ago, it sent him into one of his depressions. It was one of the worst ones too.

Getting too deeply lost in thought at a time like this, which is where Blaine was headed, was never good for him.

Then, as if on cue, his phone buzzed and drew him out of his thoughts. He reached in his pocket and unlocked his phone as he saw the text was from Kurt. He didn't even realize that a smile appeared onto his face just from reading the name.

10:51pm

I know I'm being crazy formal here, but I thought I might actually ask this time before coming over. So, can I come over tomorrow?

Blaine smiled even more before responding.

_10:51pm_

_Whoaaa…. Do we do that now? First, you never have to ask. You know that. Second, if you want to stare at my the back of my head making home inside of my toilet all day, by all means, come right on over._

10:53pm

Well, I think I'll skip on bringing Pop-Tarts with me, but I would like to be there… Not in a creepy, 'I wanna watch you vomit' way, but… Well, you know what I mean.

Blaine laughed.

_10:54pm_

_Yes, I know what you mean. And, Kurt, when I'm on my death bed, I imagine my last words being, "Someone hand me a Pop-Tart."_

10:55pm

So, I should still bring the Pop-Tarts?

_10:55pm_

_You should still bring the Pop-Tarts._

10:57pm

Can and will do. Goodnight, Blaine.

_10:57pm_

_Goodnight, Kurt._

That night, Blaine went to bed without worrying about whatever tomorrow would bring. He couldn't seem to get his mind off of Kurt, and the apparent magical powers he had to make everything a little bit better.

* * *

><p><strong>So sorry for the long wait, but my classes became insane and I had no free time. However, my classes ended on the 7th (which also happened to be my birthday), so I now have more time to write and hopefully will be updating more often. But, classes do start back on the 23rd, and I'm going on vacation for a little bit starting Tuesday, so... We'll just have to see how things go.<strong>

**Anyway, I'm just glad I'm able to write again for now!**

**Thank you all for your patience, reviews, and everything else :) Much love!**

**Tumblr: notalone88  
><strong>


	27. Sick

_"Sometimes you gotta look hard, but you'll always find a light at the end of the tunnel. It just might take a while to find it."_

Kurt pulled up at the Anderson's a little after nine o'clock. He knew Blaine would be taking the medication early, so he wanted to get there before things got bad.

He got out of his car and opened the back door, pulling out his "Bag of Reinforcements" as Finn had named it the night before while he helped Kurt get everything together. He closed the door back and, once he had the bag handle over his shoulder, he walked up to the front door.

Before he had the chance to knock, the door was opening. Blaine was standing there, a small but bright smile on his face. "Hi," He said, moving to let Kurt in. "I heard you pull up so I decided to use the last of my freedom and come down to answer the door."

"You sound like you're going to prison," Kurt replied as Blaine closed the door back.

"That's what it's usually like."

"Is it really _that_ bad?" Kurt asked, genuinely concerned.

"Has been all the other times."

Blaine led the way back up to his room, Kurt following just a few steps behind.

"Well, I brought stuff to do and watch, and-"

"Pop-Tarts?" Blaine asked, turning back to Kurt with wide eyes.

"_And_ Pop-Tarts. Honestly though, if you're gonna be vomiting, I don't recommend them."

"But they're good comfort food for when the puking dies down."

"That is true," Kurt agreed with a nod.

They entered Blaine's room and the first thing Kurt noticed is that it looked like a battlefield… Well, maybe not a battlefield, unless the battle was 'Let's-make-sure-we-catch-the-vomit.'

"What is all this?" Kurt asked, looking down at the huge sheet that was laid out beside Blaine's bed. There was a green bucket beside the bed as well.

"Well, I don't have a very good record with making it to the bathroom on the first upchuck, so…" His voice died off as he motioned to the blankets.

"Ah," Kurt replied with realization. He set his bag down and moved over to look at what was on Blaine's nightstand. "Gatorade, water, rags in ice water and rags in…" He paused, sinking his finger into the water, then quickly jerking it back out, "Ouch! Rags in hot water."

"Yeah, my mom did all of that this morning. She's always very prepared."

Kurt sighed, then turned back to Blaine, who was now sitting comfortably on his bed. "Blaine, is this okay? I mean, I know people have side effects to medication sometimes, but this is a little… intense."

"Well, the first couple of times I had my meds switched, my mom ended up rushing me to the hospital cause she thought I was dying, but the doctor reassured her that I was okay. My body just has a more difficult time adjusting to medication, but after a few days it's over and I won't have to worry about it for a few more years."

Kurt nodded, then moved to the other side of Blaine's bed and sat down. He hoped Blaine was wrong about how sick he'd get. Maybe this time would be different and he wouldn't have the horrible side effects.

"Where is everyone?" He asked, feeling the need to fill in the quiet moment.

"Mom's at the drugstore picking up my medicine cause it was too late last night, and my dad is making homemade chicken noodle soup for later. He works from home when I start new medication cause it's a lot of work for my mom… So, what did you bring me?" Blaine asked, jumping a little and causing the bed to bounce.

Kurt laughed, then leaned over and picked up the bag. "First of all, my brother would kill me if I didn't inform you that he helped me put this together. Mainly, he made up the name for the bag- which is the 'Bag of Reinforcements' by the way- and added the movie _Saw_. I asked him why he was so insistent on me bringing Saw, but he just shrugged.

"Anyway," He pulled the _Saw_ dvd out of his bag, and sat it in-between him and Blaine. "_Saw_. We also have _What's Eating Gilbert Grape?_, _Benny and Joon_, _The Notebook_, and _Finding Neverland_."

Blaine smiled, "Someone has a little Johnny Depp fetish, don't they."

Kurt glared over at him, "Shut up."

Blaine laughed, "Please, continue."

"Okay. So, for shows, and don't laugh, I brought _Golden Girls_."

Blaine just stared at him.

"Okay, maybe you should laugh. The staring is more annoying."

"No, no," Blaine replied quickly, "I just… I was pretty sure I was the only teenager in the world who watched that show."

"Oh, well, you're not," Kurt informed him, his heart racing a little, although he wasn't sure why. "My dad caught me, on many occasions, watching marathons of it in the living room in the middle of the night. So, he bought me the first three seasons last Christmas. I laughed and pretended to be slightly embarrassed, then I stayed up for three nights straight just… watching."

"Where have you been all my life?" Blaine asked, looking as though he were in a daze.

Kurt stared back at him, unsure of how to take the comment. Thankfully, before he had to figure out something to say, Diane came into the room.

"I bring medicine!" She exclaimed, causing both Blaine and Kurt to slightly jump and quickly look away from each other.

"_Hooray_," Blaine replied with no enthusiasm.

"You took all your other meds already, right? Hi, Kurt!"

"Hi."

Blaine nodded, "Right before you left."

"Good." She popped open the medicine bottle and took out a pill, "Okay, now just take this; Then, we wait."

She handed Blaine the pill and he reluctantly took it, not even bothering to use a drink to help it go down.

Afterward, Blaine wanted to watch some TV, so Kurt put on the first episode of _The Golden Girls_. They got comfy on Blaine's bed and began watching as they waited for the inevitable.

Kurt found it a little odd. Not being at Blaine's house, that was normal, but just waiting for him to get sick. It didn't usually work that way. You got sick _before_ you realized you were getting sick. The problem was already there and starting by the time you realized that you didn't feel right.

This. This was different. Worse, really. _Knowing_ that soon you _will_ be sick, just not knowing exactly when it will start up. Kurt wasn't even the one getting sick, but he had that nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach anyway.

But, there was nothing he could do but be there for Blaine, so that's what he'd do. And, in the meantime, he'd get to watch one of his favorite shows with one of his favorite people.

* * *

><p>They made it through the first episode of <em>Golden Girls<em>, and were in the middle of episode two when-

"Oh God," Blaine said suddenly. He hurriedly reached over, grabbing the bucket beside his bed.

"Are you about to-"

Blaine quickly leaning forward, holding tightly onto the bucket as he began vomiting inside of it, answered Kurt's question.

Kurt knew he probably should have ran out to get Diane or Nathan, but he really didn't want to leave Blaine. Plus, the coughing and puking was loud enough, so he knew they'd be there soon anyway.

Kurt got on his knees and knelt beside Blaine on the bed, then began rubbing his back soothingly. He hoped Blaine was one who didn't mind being touched when he was sick.

He didn't speak as Blaine threw up, knowing how much it annoyed him when others tried to say calming words when he got sick.

As Kurt suspected, Diane was soon in the room. The worst of the spell was now over, with Blaine spitting into the bucket. Kurt could feel him shaking slightly as he continued slowly rubbing Blaine's back, and he could see that sweat was already covering his neck.

"Is it safe?" Diane asked, looking down at her son sadly.

He coughed once, then nodded, leaning back. Diane took the bucket from him and left out of the room.

Kurt wasn't sure what to do, but he knew he needed to do _something_. "I'll get you a rag," He said, helping Blaine to lean all the way back against the headboard before getting up. "Do you want some water or Gatorade?"

Blaine shook his head. "We'll be moving to the bathroom soon," He replied, his voice raspy. "I'll wash my mouth out there."

Kurt nodded, taking out a cold washcloth and ringing it out a little before running it across Blaine's forehead.

"Great way to spend a Sunday, huh?" Blaine joked, although he barely laughed.

Kurt didn't reply, instead gently running the washcloth over Blaine's cheeks.

"Seriously though, Kurt, you should go do something," Blaine continued, his eyes closing as Kurt continued cooling him down.

"I _am_ doing something."

"I mean something fun."

"Well, I can't say this is exactly _'fun'_ per se, I hate to see you suffering, but there's honestly no place I'd rather be… Unless you want me to leave."

"No!" Blaine replied quickly, his eyes shooting open. "I just, I mean, I… I like having you here."

"Then I'm staying."

Blaine let his eyes fall back closed, a small smile on his lips. "Good."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so there was supposed to be more to this chapter, but if I wrote all I wanted to write, it would be ridiculously long. I think it's safer to end here and continue from the ending point here in the next chapter. (Also, I think I find too much enjoyment out of writing sick Blaine.)<strong>

**I keep forgetting to mention that _klaineficspdfs_ on tumblr have made a pdf and a ePub version of this story. I think it goes through chapter 25 right now. A big thank you to them for that though :) **

**Tumblr: notalone88**


	28. Tired

_"Can I stay with you for the night? I don't feel good."_

Vomit filled the toilet for a second time in the past hour. It was Blaine's third time puking, and it was obvious that it was beginning to wear on him.

He coughed and spit, then took slow, deep breaths as he began to lean back.

Kurt reached over from his spot of standing behind him and flushed the toilet. He then filled a small cup with mouthwash and another cup with green Gatorade.

"Here's the mouthwash," Kurt said quietly. Blaine raised his hands to take it, but Kurt could see that he was shaking too bad. There was no way he'd get a good enough grip on the cup.

"Let me," Kurt said. He put the cup up to Blaine's mouth, unconsciously running his other hand through Blaine's sweaty hair.

Blaine, too tired to speak at the moment, simply let Kurt help him. He swirled the mouthwash around in his mouth for a few seconds, then spit it into the toilet.

Kurt changed out cups, now holding the Gatorade in his hand. "Now drink this," He told him, putting it up to Blaine's mouth.

Blaine whined pitifully. His face scrunched up and he backed away to lean his back against the side of the tub.

"I know you don't wanna drink it," Kurt replied, as though Blaine's whining was him complaining to Kurt, "but if you don't, you'll get dehydrated and that won't be good at all." He sat down beside Blaine, who now had his eyes closed. Kurt reached out and touched his leg, rubbing it soothingly to get his attention. "Just drink a couple of sips," He continued once Blaine had opened his eyes once again, now looking over at Kurt.

Blaine looked like he wanted to protest, but he was just too exhausted already. "Fine," He said, his voice raspy.

Kurt nodded once and moved into a kneeling position so he could hold the cup up to Blaine easier. "Just remember to drink slowly, okay?"

Blaine nodded back to him, then took a couple of small sips of the Gatorade. He took an extra sip, just to make Kurt happy, then backed his head up so Kurt would know that he didn't want anymore.

"Wh- Where'd Mom go?" Blaine asked, just now noticing her absence.

"She went to get more cold and warm washcloths for you. She'll be back soon."

Blaine simply nodded in reply.

"Do you wanna go back to bed?" Kurt asked, knowing Blaine couldn't be comfortable.

Blaine shook his head. "It's not over yet."

Kurt sighed, going back to his previous position of sitting next to Blaine. "I don't know if there's anything left for you to throw up."

"Just some tasty bile," Blaine replied, his body chilling at the memory of how it burns his throat.

Kurt wrapped an arm around Blaine, taking his hand and gently massaging Blaine's head. "I wish I could make you feel better," Kurt confessed, his voice quiet as Blaine's head began to lean on his shoulder.

"You being here makes me feel better," Blaine replied, his voice so low that Kurt barely heard him.

Kurt didn't respond, although his heart did thump a little faster after that. He continued massaging Blaine's head long after the boy had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

* * *

><p>When Blaine woke back up twenty minutes later, it wasn't some slow, peaceful wake up where he blushed and apologized for falling asleep on Kurt. Instead, he popped up and practically threw himself over the toilet, holding on for dear life as he threw up into it.<p>

Kurt rubbed his back as worry racked through his brain. It didn't seem to matter how normal both Blaine and Diane found this, it wasn't normal to him. He didn't like seeing Blaine like this.

Diane came into the room seconds after the puking began. She had gone downstairs while Blaine was asleep, getting some housework done while she could.

"This seems worse than the last one," She said as Blaine continued to vomit nothing but bile.

"And you're sure this is okay?" Kurt asked, his voice shaky as he tried to sound calm in front of Blaine. "He doesn't need a hospital, or an IV, or something?"

"I know it seems bad," She replied. Blaine was calming down a little, just coughing and trying to catch his breath. "It's been a lot worse before though."

"There's no meds to stop the vomiting? I thought they made pills to help with that."

"They don't help," Blaine wheezed. He was so exhausted that he didn't even sound like himself.

Diane flushed the toilet then grabbed a washcloth from the sink and wiped Blaine's mouth. She let him gargle with mouthwash, which he lazily swished around his mouth and spit out.

Diane went to grab another cup and sighed. "I need to go get more Gatorade," She said, "I'll be right back."

Kurt scooted back, placing a hand on each side of Blaine's waist. "Here, I'll help you sit back," He said, knowing Blaine couldn't feel restful the way he was just draped over the toilet.

"I don't… think I… can move," Blaine replied, still breathing heavily as he spoke.

Kurt ignored the achy feeling in his chest and focused on a way to get Blaine back resting against the bathtub.

After a moment, he thought he might have it figured out.

He removed his hands from Blaine's waist and put them under his arms, wrapping his own arms around Blaine's chest. "Probably not the most comfortable way to get you there, but it's better than laying your head on a toilet."

Kurt pulled Blaine up, practically carrying all of his weight, and dragged him back to the bathtub. It was only a couple of steps, but Blaine was practically dead weight, and Kurt wasn't used to dragging a person around.

Once he was at the tub, he realized the only way he could get out from behind Blaine would require him to let go of Blaine. Or somehow get his leg over his arms and Blaine's head, then pull Blaine back… but then Blaine's head would end up in-between Kurt's legs and that would be all kinds of awkward.

Instead, Kurt slowly slumped down to the ground. He stretched his legs out so Blaine could fit between them and leaned his own back against the tub. He pulled Blaine up closer to him, letting his back rest against Kurt's chest, and his head lay back against his shoulder.

"You're cozy," Blaine mumbled out, already half asleep. Kurt wasn't sure how all the movement didn't bother Blaine, but he wasn't going to complain.

Instead, Kurt found himself smiling at the compliment. "Thank you," He whispered.

It only took a few more seconds for him to notice how uncomfortable the back of the bathtub was. It didn't seem this uncomfortable before, but now it just seemed annoying. He supposed any hard surface would begin to hurt a person after a while.

Just then, Diane returned to the bathroom. She stopped for a moment, taking in the sight in front of her. Her son, sweaty and exhausted, was passed out in the arms of another boy whose face was filled with _worry_ and exhaustion. It was both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.

"How'd this come to be?" She asked with a light smile, setting the Gatorade down.

"I had to get him here somehow and he said he couldn't move, and I realized too late that I couldn't get out from behind him, so…" He shrugged.

She pointed behind him, still smiling, "You could have just stepped into the bathtub and pulled him back, you know?"

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed and he glanced back at the tub. "Oh, I… I didn't even realize. I can get back up and-"

Diane held up a hand, stopping him. "Don't move. Blaine's never looked so peaceful after being sick. I'll get you a pillow for your back."

"Thank you," Kurt replied, settling back down and bringing Blaine in a little closer.

* * *

><p>Nathan looked at his watch. It was almost five o'clock in the afternoon now. He had spent almost all day in his office. He always stayed home when Blaine was sick, just in case Diane needed his help, but he honestly didn't like seeing his son look so ill so he tried to just stay out of the way.<p>

He was glad that Diane hadn't called for his help, and he tried to ignore every time he heard puking and coughing sounds coming from upstairs, but it had been quiet for a while now. A few hours actually. He figured it probably wouldn't hurt to go upstairs and check on his son.

He headed up the stairs, taking his time just in case Blaine was still sick. He thought that maybe Blaine was back in his room by now, but he peeked into the bathroom anyway. Although he'd never admit it out loud, what he saw was probably one of the most adorable things he'd ever seen.

Blaine was still asleep with his back against Kurt's chest, his head resting comfortably. Kurt was now asleep as well. His head was turned to the side and mushed into Blaine's hair, which was free of gel today. Nathan knew he'd probably wake up with a crook in his neck, but there was really no more comfortable way for his head to be. Plus, they both looked so relaxed.

Nathan looked around, making sure his wife wasn't in view, then took his phone out of his pocket and quickly snapped a picture. He was placing his phone back into his pocket when Diane exited their bedroom holding a blanket.

"They look so peaceful, don't they?" She said, smiling widely.

"They do," He agreed, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms. "How's he been?"

"Less puking than last time. It stopped a few hours back. I'll fix him a bath when he wakes up; I'm afraid he'll be too dizzy for a shower. I think the puking is over with, but his headaches usually come the day after vomiting, and you know what comes with that…"

"Crazy talk," Nathan finished, laughing lightly.

Diane nodded. "Crazy talk... And you shouldn't laugh, Nathan."

"I'm sorry," He replied, trying to get rid of the smile still on his lips, "Just, memories from last time. You know, we should probably rename it 'honest talk.' It's the only time he has no filter and just says whatever is on his mind."

"True. Now, if you'll scoot over, I'm gonna put this blanket over them."

"Oh, I'll do it," Nathan offered, taking the blanket from her.

"Thanks, honey. I'm gonna go start dinner."

"Okay."

Diane headed downstairs and Nathan walked into the bathroom. He knelt down and gently placed the blanket over the boys, not wanting to disturb them. He stared at Blaine for a moment, tears automatically coming to his eyes as he thought of how bad Blaine must feel right now… And how bad Blaine's felt on and off for _years_. He lifted his hand to his mouth and kissed his fingers, then laid them lightly on Blaine's forehead. "I love you, son," He said, then he got up and headed back downstairs to be with his wife.

* * *

><p><strong>I was worried this wouldn't be 1,000 words when I finished the chapter, then I add it to the document manager and realized I had nothing to worry about! <strong>

**So, if you guys want to, I started a new story called Rehab that you might enjoy. I also wrote a one-shot (that may one day turn into a two-shot) called Crashed Into You. Also, sadly, I feel that this story only has a few more chapters left. I don't know how I'll survive once I finish it, as this story and you guys have all been through so much with me, but... I just won't think about it right now!**

**Okay, so I think that's it :) Thanks for reading and reviewing :D Talk to me on Tumblr, as I am lonely. **

**Tumblr: notalone88**


	29. Honesty

_"Things won't always be good. But the bad will make you appreciate the good even more."_

When Kurt woke up his neck felt as though it was broken. True, he didn't actually _know_ what it would be like to have a broken neck, but he figured this was pretty close.

He also felt very warm. Especially his cheek. When he was finally able to lift his head, he looked down to see what he had been laying on.

When he saw the full head of hair, and Blaine's body continuing after it, he realized that he fell asleep on Blaine… and Blaine had also fallen asleep on him.

He yawned, trying to make as little movement as possible, then slowly stretched his legs out a little so the feeling would come back to them.

That's when he noticed the blanket over them.

He wondered how long they had both been asleep, and when the blanket had been placed over them. His muscles sort of wished whoever did it would have just woken them up and moved them to the bed instead, but the rest of him was glad they were left here.

The rest of his fog lifting, Kurt lifted a hand to Blaine's forehead to see if he had a fever. He felt clammy, but he wasn't feverish at all. He'd probably feel a lot better if he got a bath.

Kurt wasn't about to wake him up for that though. He'd sit here until Blaine woke up on his own, knowing that the thing he needed most right now was his rest.

Kurt wouldn't say he was a cuddly person, per se, but something in him just wanted to hold Blaine close. He wanted to keep him safe. He hated seeing him sick today. It felt like torture. He hoped the worst was over, and that the vomiting had stopped, because he didn't know if he could handle watching Blaine this way again. And not coming back tomorrow just wasn't an option. Blaine _needed_ him there. Kurt would spend the night if he could, but his dad wouldn't let him skip school so that was unreasonable. But, right after school, Kurt would be back here. He'd text Diane during the day to make sure Blaine was doing okay, then skip glee and come as fast as he could… without breaking any laws.

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine a little tighter. Not enough to bother him, but enough to pull him just a little closer to his chest. Okay, so maybe it wasn't Blaine that needed Kurt. Maybe it was Kurt that needed Blaine.

Before Kurt let himself get too deep into his own thoughts, Blaine began to move. Kurt's arms loosened around him as he began to wake up.

Blaine groaned as his body stretched. He lifted his hands to his eyes and rubbed them as he yawned.

Then he was still. Kurt was just about to speak when Blaine's hands went down and touched his legs. His head then spun around quickly to be only inches away from Kurt's.

"Kurt?" He questioned, his brain still a little dopey. "What're you doing?"

"I'm being your body pillow," Kurt replied, unable to help the smile that formed on his lips from the sleepy look on Blaine's face.

Blaine turned his head back around, facing away from Kurt now. "I'm sorry," He said, shifting forward so he was no longer pressed against Kurt.

"What for?"

"You having to just sit there."

"I fell asleep too. Used your head as a pillow apparently."

"Oh…" Blaine looked around the room, his eyes blinking slowly. It was clear he was still a little out of it. "What time is it?"

"I'm not sure." Kurt got his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. "_Oh_… It's past eight." He couldn't believe they had been out for so long. No wonder his back was killing him. He also had five missed calls and four texts from his dad.

He put his phone back in his pocket and tried not to wince too much as he stood up, holding the back of the tub for support. "I better call my dad and let him know I'm okay."

Blaine tried to get up, but he stopped before he got halfway. "Not a good idea."

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked, immediately forgetting about his dad. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little dizzy."

Just then Diane walked into the bathroom. "I thought I heard voices," She said, smiling. "Glad you two decided to join the world again. How are you feeling, sweetie?"

"A little dizzy, but okay."

Diane nodded. "Think you're safe to go back to bed?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay, I'll help you." She looked up at Kurt, "Hon, your dad called earlier, when he couldn't get ahold of you. He said just to call him when you woke up so you could tell him what time you'd be home."

"I'll call him now. Do you need help with Blaine first?"

Diane shook her head. "No, I got it. He'll just lean on me a little."

Kurt nodded and moved around them to go and call his dad.

* * *

><p>By the time he had gotten off of the phone, Diane had gotten Blaine to bed. Even though Blaine had been asleep for a while, he still looked exhausted. His eyes were already drooping by the time Kurt came into the room.<p>

"Blaine?" Kurt began, speaking quietly.

"Hm?"

"I've gotta go home now. I don't want to be driving too late."

Blaine took a deep breath. "M'kay. Thank you."

Kurt smiled at Blaine's sleepy voice. "For what?"

"For today."

"I'm not sure what I did, but you're welcome." He reached forward and brushed some of Blaine's hair from his forehead, oblivious to the fact that Diane was still in the room and watching them. "I'll be back tomorrow after school, okay? And I'll text in-between classes to see how you're doing."

"Thank you," Blaine said again before closing his eyes completely.

He looked over at Diane, who smiled and nodded toward the door.

Once they were outside of the room, and Blaine's door was cracked, Diane began. "He'll sleep on and off for the rest of tonight. I'll just run him a bath and, when he wakes up the next time, he can get cleaned up."

"Alright. I'm gonna get going."

"Okay. Let me know when you get home, and call or text me whenever you want tomorrow. I know you'll be worried."

"Thank you," Kurt replied with a relieved smile. "And it's okay to come by after school?"

"Of course it is, honey."

"Thank you," He said again. After telling Diane goodbye, and Nathan as well when he saw him downstairs, Kurt went home.

* * *

><p>School couldn't end fast enough. Kurt wasn't sure how, but he seemed to be out of the doors before anyone else in the building.<p>

He had already talked to Finn the night before, telling him he wouldn't be staying for glee. Kurt told him he would, if Finn didn't have another way home, but Finn told him not to worry about it. He'd get a ride from Puck or Rachel or anyone. He also told Kurt that he'd cover for him in glee. And, while Kurt wasn't sure how that would work out, he couldn't find it in him to care.

When he got to Blaine's house, Nathan let him in. After a pat on the back and a, "He's on fire today," Kurt went upstairs.

Kurt entered Blaine's room slowly and quietly, not wanting to wake him if he was asleep. Turns out, he _was_ asleep. Diane, who was cleaning up his room a bit, looked at Kurt and smiled.

"He just went out," She whispered, moving closer to Kurt. "He's been talking a lot today. He's got a pretty bad headache, but that only makes him talk more. So far he's told Nathan that he works too much; Blaine wishes he had a different job, one _without_ idiots; and that they have to have a serious talk when he's human again. He's also told me a lot of things, including that I should get a haircut, and I deserve to go watch _The Today Show_ in person…" At Kurt's confused look, she explained. "I watch it every morning. We joke about my obsession a lot."

Kurt nodded. "So, when he's like this, is he out of his head or…"

"Well, he means everything he says. You know that foggy feeling you have when you first wake up from a nap?" Kurt nodded. "Well, it's like that, but it doesn't go away. We always blame it on the migraines, but it's really from the medicine he takes _for_ the migraines."

"Has he thrown up anymore?"

"Just once this morning, about forty-five minutes after taking his medicine. And, before you ask, I didn't tell you when you texted me because I knew you'd worry for the rest of today, even though we've all told you that you _shouldn't_ worry."

Kurt shrugged, giving her a sad smile. "I can't seem to help it."

"I know," Diane replied, squeezing his arm. "That's a good thing. I'd rather have my son with someone who cared _too_ much than someone who didn't care enough."

"But Blaine an-"

"I'm gonna go get a bite of something to eat," She interrupted, "Blaine'll wake up soon." She left out of the room before Kurt could say another word.

Trying to forget about what Diane had just said, Kurt walked closer to Blaine's bed. He didn't want to disturb him, but he also didn't want Blaine to wake up to him standing over him. He gently sat down on his usual side of the bed, leaning his back against the headboard. He was comfortably stiff, not allowing himself to relax in fear that the extra movement would wake Blaine up.

Blaine continued to sleep though so, after a couple of minutes, Kurt relaxed.

It was about five more minutes before Blaine started to wake up. Kurt looked over at him as he rubbed his eyes. It was like deja vu, except this time Blaine wasn't using him as a cushion… And, while Kurt would never say it out loud, he sort of wished Blaine was.

Blaine blinked a few times, then looked over in Kurt's direction, apparently feeling someone's presence in the room. "Kurt, you're here," He said, more as a statement than a question.

"Yup. Just got here not too long ago."

"Good. I like you here."

Kurt smiled. "I like me here too."

"Really?"

Kurt nodded.

"That's so nice. You're just so nice, Kurt. And so fashionable. I love your fashion."

"Why thank you."

"You are so welcome, Kurt," Blaine replied, staring at Kurt in some sort of awe.

"You know, I think I'd compare this to you being drunk," Kurt said with a laugh.

"Oh no. Can't have alcohol. It's not good for my heart. Not good at all."

"You still have a headache?"

Blaine looked away from Kurt, now staring up at the ceiling. "Yeah. I took medicine for it earlier so it's not as bad. Medicine, medicine. All I ever do is take medicine. I take it when I wake up, during the day, and of the night. Go to doctors appointments, get more medicine. All. I ever. do."

The smile had now disappeared from Kurt's face, "Blaine, I-"

"But I made a promise to you. And to your dad. I made a promise in my card. I promised I'd take care of your mom's heart, and I will. I will forever. As long as I can. Sometimes I don't want to. I know it sounds bad, but it's true. Sometimes it feels like too much."

Kurt tried to hold back the tears that were forming in his eyes. "Blaine-"

"And I like you, Kurt. I like you a lot. So much. But I know that if it weren't for your mom dying, and _me_ getting her heart, I would never know you. Even if I got someone else's heart and was still alive now, I still wouldn't know you. And you wouldn't know me. And you wouldn't care about me. You'd be looking for someone else. Whoever would have gotten her heart instead of me. You'd care about them, you'd be talking to them, and spending time with them, and it wouldn't be me. I wouldn't matter then."

"Blaine, please stop," Kurt practically begged, his voice shaking and tears rolling down his face. "Just stop."

Blaine quieted down. After a moment, Kurt looked over and saw that he was quiet because he had fallen back asleep.

Kurt quickly got off of the bed and left the room. He wiped his eyes as he walked down the stairs. He made up a quick excuse, that he couldn't even remember afterward, to Blaine's parents as to why he had to leave, and he got out of the house.

He didn't let himself break down until he was away from the Anderson's house. He pulled over and laid his head on the steering wheel as he sobbed, his chest heaving.

He wasn't crying because he hated that Blaine felt that way. He was crying because he couldn't deny what Blaine had said.

* * *

><p><strong>I feel kinda bad. You guys were so looking forward to "crazy talk." Then I did this. I suck.<strong>

**But, I want to thank you all, cause the last chapter doubled in reviews :) That made me so happy! Thank you guys so much!**

**Tumblr: notalone88 (a name which, oddly, has nothing to do with the song... although I do love the song)**


	30. Home

_"You're stronger than you think you are. You've had to be."_

Kurt finally managed to calm himself down enough to drive the rest of the way home.

When he pulled into the driveway and saw his dad's truck there, he sighed. He really didn't feel like talking to anyone. His eyes were red and puffy, he was tired, and he looked and felt awful. He just wanted to go up to his room and be left alone.

Hoping his dad was out back, or somewhere that Kurt wouldn't have to see him, he got out of his car and headed to the front door.

Once inside, Kurt walked straight to the stairs.

"Kurt? That you?" Burt called from the family room.

_So close…_

"Yes, it's me," Kurt replied, suppressing a sigh. He stayed by the staircase, hoping that his dad would leave it at that… Today was not his lucky day.

"Come here for a second."

This time Kurt did _not_ suppress his sigh, however Burt was unable to hear it.

"Yeah?" He asked, trying to keep his voice calm and smooth. Maybe, if his dad was watching something important, he wouldn't look away from the TV. Then he wouldn't be able to tell he'd been crying.

"I thought you were going to Blaine's after school?"

"Oh, I- I did, but he was pretty out of it so I didn't stay."

Burt nodded, still staring at whatever show was on the Discovery Channel at the moment. "He doin' okay?"

"Mhm," Kurt replied, his voice going a little too high for his liking. He could feel the tears returning to his eyes, and his bottom lip began to shake, but he refused to let himself cry right now. He'd hold it in until he got to his room. He had to.

"Okay, well you should probably go upstairs and get started on your homework then. Finn's stayin' at Puck's tonight, so it's just you, Carole, and me for dinner."

Kurt nodded. "Okay." He turned and began to walk away when Burt continued.

"And whenever you feel like tellin' me the truth, I'm here."

Kurt froze. He turned back to his dad, who was still staring at the TV screen. "But there's nothing-"

Burt held up his hand, stopping Kurt. He pressed the 'off' button on the remote and looked over at Kurt, "I'd like to think I know you enough to realize when you're not alright without havin' to look at your face. And, you wouldn't just leave Blaine cause he was out of it."

Kurt just stared at him for a moment before practically speed-walking over to his dad, and sitting down right beside him. Burt put an arm around Kurt's shoulder before Kurt could even begin to speak.

"When's he gonna realize that I really care about him?" Kurt asked quietly, his voice breaking mid sentence.

"What do you mean, Kurt?"

Tears started to fall from Kurt's eyes once again. "When I went over… he started saying how… I wouldn't care about him… if it wasn't for him… getting mom's heart…" He said, taking shaky breaths every few words. His attempt at holding back on crying until he got to his room was a fail.

Burt rubbed up his hand up and down Kurt's shoulder soothingly, trying to get the boy to calm down.

"But I… I couldn't tell him… he was wrong… Cause, what if… that's true… I would have never… gone looking for… him. I'd be… looking for… whoever got her… heart instead."

"Okay, Kurt, you need to calm down," Burt said, his tone soft but demanding. He moved until he had a hand on both of Kurt's shoulders, and they were facing one another. "Just calm down and we'll talk about this, okay?"

Kurt nodded, but continued to hyperventilate. He began making his shaky, stunted breaths come out slower and slower until he was breathing normally again. Tears still fell down his face, but they weren't a constant as they had been before.

"You a little better now?" Burt asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so," Kurt replied, taking a deep breath.

"Okay then."

Burt returned them to their former position, with his arm around Kurt's shoulders and Kurt right next to his side. "Now, are you upset because he thinks that way, or are you upset because you think he might be right?"

Kurt was silent for a moment… His dad really did know him too well. "Both, I think. But more for the second reason."

"Could you picture yourself spending the rest of your life with Blaine?"

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed. He was clearly thrown off by the question. "What?" He asked, lifting his head to look at his dad.

"Just wonderin' what you think when you think about him," Burt replied with a shrug.

Kurt sighed. This was not exactly how he thought this conversation would go… Actually, he wasn't expecting to have this conversation _whatsoever_.

"I… I…"

_"You?"_

"I like him a lot," Kurt replied, looking away from Burt.

"And?"

"And I think that… yes, I could. I mean, we're just teenagers, but-"

"That doesn't matter," Burt interrupted. "I don't like when parents tell their kids they're too young to know how they feel. I knew the things I felt as a teenager were real. They weren't any less real just cause I was young."

"I _like_ being with Blaine," Kurt replied, feeling more comfortable now. "I like going over to visit him, and my heart starts beating faster every time I get a text from him. It killed me seeing him sick, but I didn't want to leave him; All I wanted to do was take the pain away. I like how we can talk about stupid stuff, but also have serious conversations. I adore his obsession with Pop-Tarts. I think he's got one of the best smiles in existence. I like that he watches Golden Girls, and that his favorite is Sofia, even though he thinks the writers made some of her jokes too mean sometimes. I like how different yet similar we are. I love how he actually listens when I talk. I love how he makes me feel."

"You love him," Burt said simply.

"Yes," Kurt replied without hesitation.

Burt let that sink into Kurt's mind for a moment, and he knew the exact second Kurt realized what he had admitted to.

Kurt's shoulders tensed. He scooted over on the couch a little, and Burt dropped his hand from being around Kurt's shoulder. "I mean I… I don't know if… but I'm pretty sure…" Kurt was facing his dad, but he wasn't making eye contact. His eyes were focusing on the ground instead. "It's too soon, though... Cause… but-"

"Kurt," Burt interrupted, holding back a laugh at his son's confused expression. "It's okay to love him, you know?"

"I know that. It's just… I've never thought about it before. I've thought about how much I like him. I guess it's just I've never felt this way before. I've never felt so…"

"Connected to someone?" Burt offered.

Kurt nodded.

"Listen to me, Kurt. If Blaine hadn't gotten Lizzie's heart, and someone else would have, then yes, you'd have been looking for them instead. You probably wouldn't have met Blaine, _yet_. If you and Blaine are meant to be together, then there's no doubt in my mind that one way or another you _would_ have met eventually. But, this is how it happened. Yes, it's a very, very strange way to meet someone, but it's not like you were expecting to fall in love with him when you met him.

"You have got to talk to Blaine about all of this though. It won't be able to work unless you do. I haven't seen him that much, but it seems to me that he likes you an awful lot too."

"But I _have_ told him before, Dad. After he found out the truth about everything. I told him, and I wrote him that journal of all the things I liked about him. I just can't seem to get it through his head."

"I'm gonna be cheesy here for a second and say that true love is worth fighting for. It seems to me, the kinda kid Blaine is, he wouldn't stick around if at least a _part_ of him didn't believe you were there for him."

Kurt sighed. "Yeah, I guess. At least, I hope." He rubbed his eyes, "I think I just need to lie down for a while."

"M'kay. I'll come get you when Carole's back with dinner."

"Alright." Kurt leaned forward and gave his dad a hug, "I love you, Dad. Thank you."

"No problem, kiddo," Burt replied, returning the hug, "I love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>Small chapter, but when I do talks like this I don't like to have a ton of different scenes.<strong>

**Also, some of you guys ask me questions, but you either have private messaging turned off or you're a guest. I don't want to flood my AN's with Q&A's, so if you could come off of guest, open private messaging, or message me on tumblr, that would be great. Thank you!**

**Tumblr: notalone88**


	31. Dad

_"It's better off this way. No one gets hurt if you don't get attached."_

Kurt didn't go back to Blaine house the next day, not that Blaine blamed him. He could remember almost all of what he had said, and he felt like the biggest idiot for it.

It wasn't that he didn't _mean_ what he said, because those were real concerns of his, it was just that he never wanted Kurt to know. He'd never want to hurt him that way. He loved having Kurt as a friend, and now he had probably ruined that forever.

That's why he spent the day being terrified to look at his phone every time it made a noise. Part of him was scared it would be Kurt, calling or texting to tell him that they wouldn't be seeing each other anymore, and the other part of him was scared that it _wasn't_ Kurt, and he'd never hear from him again.

Blaine sort of wished he could go back to the previous day and not care about what he was thinking or saying. But, he was doing better today. Besides small waves of nausea, and dizziness if he got up too fast, he was okay.

It honestly hadn't been too bad of a reaction to his new medication. He had gone through worse before, although he was younger then, and he didn't have Kurt…_ Oh, Kurt._

He was trying to squish the back of his head further into his pillow when his phone beeped, letting him know he had a new text. He grumbled, cautiously picking it up and peeking at whoever the sender was with only one eye open. When he saw it was Jeff, he sighed out of both relief and worry.

He read the text, which was just Jeff informing him that he'd be bringing his homework by at around eight o'clock, and was about to reply when there was a knock on his door.

"Come in," He said, setting his phone down beside him.

The door opened and Nathan looked around it, seeing where Blaine was before coming inside. "Were you asleep?" He asked when he saw Blaine looking comfy underneath the covers.

Blaine shook his head. "No. Just thinking."

Nathan nodded, entering the room completely and shutting the door behind him. "Well, now that your- in your words- human again, I thought it was time we had that talk you wanted."

"Oh, Dad, no, I-"

Nathan waved his hand, stopping Blaine, "Don't try and back your way outta this one. This was a long time coming." He sat down on Blaine's bed, "Sit up," He said, "I don't want you falling asleep midway through."

Blaine sat up slowly, to keep away the dizziness, and propped his pillows up against his headboard, then scooted back and rested against them. "Dad, really, we don't need to do this. I was out of my head when I said that and-"

"No," Nathan interrupted, getting as comfortable as he could with sitting opposite Blaine, so he could see him without having to look sideways, "I mean it, Blaine, this was a long time coming. We should have done this years ago. I'm pretty sure I know what you want to talk about, and I want to talk about it too. So, let's talk."

"O- Okay," Blaine said nervously. He used his hands to push himself up a little more, just because he felt like he needed something to do. He couldn't remember a time where he and his father ever talked like this. He was extremely nervous.

"Okay," Nathan agreed. "Let's get right to it then. Blaine, I haven't been a good father to you-"

"No, Dad-"

"Let me finish. It's true, Blaine. Yes, I've worked hard so that the whole family could continue to have nice things, and we've never had to worry about doctor's bills, but anyone can do that. That's not being a good father, that's being a hard worker. Now, I want you to know that I make no excuses for what I did. I've known all along that I wasn't close to you like I was and am with Cooper, but that's what I chose. And I was wrong."

Blaine looked down at his hands, his thumbs twiddling just for something to do. "Why… Why did you choose that?" Blaine asked, his voice small.

"Everything will just sound like a poor excuse now. It does to me."

"I'd still like to hear them," Blaine replied quickly, still looking down at his hands.

"It was hard for me, Blaine, to come to terms with the fact that you were seriously ill. I brushed it off at first, telling your mom that she was just exaggerating and that everything would be fine.

"But then… There was a point where I couldn't pretend anymore. I wasn't hearing these horrible things from your mom, but from doctors and specialists.

"I threw myself into my work then, while you waited to get a new heart. Sometimes I'd start thinking about it, but I'd force myself to stop because I couldn't understand it. I couldn't understand how my son could be on the brink of death, how his heart, of all things, could be failing him at such a young age.

"I started doing more things with Cooper just to fill in what free time I _did_ have. Your mom and I both agreed that we wanted him to have as normal of a life as possible. But, there were times when I should have driven to Columbus to visit you, but I took him places instead. It was just easier for me. I could go to a football or baseball game for a few hours and forget everything else going on around me."

Nathan paused, taking a breath. Blaine didn't speak. He wasn't sure he even could. He didn't even know how he was supposed to feel. Half of him was sad, the other half was consumed with anger. He squeezed his hands together tightly, and didn't allow himself to look up at his dad, because he wasn't sure what he'd say if he did.

"Your mom called me a few times, crying so hard that she could barely speak. She'd tell me that she didn't think you'd make it through the night, that I should come to the hospital if I ever wanted to see you breathing again, but I'd use Cooper as my reason why I couldn't. I'd tell her that he couldn't, or didn't want to, go and that I needed to be with him. I'd tell her to tell you that I loved you and to hang in there.

"Once, Cooper heard me. He was so angry that he shut himself in his room and wouldn't speak to me for three days. He called Diane and told her the truth, told her I was lying about him not wanting to come, then _she_ wouldn't talk to me for _five_ days."

"What about after?" Blaine asked before he even thought. He just couldn't hold it in any longer.

"After what?"

"After the transplant, and my recovery. Why didn't things get better?"

Nathan took a deep breath. "One thing I have always done is research. Every time I'd hear of a new treatment or surgery they were doing on you, I'd research it. When you had the transplant… I looked up the life expectancy. I read good stories, and horror stories, and I let the horror stories stick. I was terrified of getting close to you, Blaine. _Terrified_. I was scared that I'd get close to you, then I'd lose you, and I… I can't even think about losing you, Blaine." His voice broke at the last sentence, which caused Blaine to finally look up. He'd never seen his dad even close to tears before.

"I thought that, if I kept my distance, and you… you…"

"I died," Blaine said for him.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah. I thought that if we weren't close, it wouldn't hurt so much. But, I don't think that's true anymore. I don't want something to happen to either of us, and know that we never really knew each other."

"You got worse though," Blaine reminded him, "After I came out, you got worse."

Nathan sighed, shifting slightly on the bed. "When you came out, it shocked me, Blaine. A lot. Your mother, not so much, but then again, she knew you a lot better than I ever did… or have. It took me time to process it, because I didn't understand it. Then, I did research, and I saw statistics. I saw how much more likely you were to commit suicide, or to be a victim of a hate crime, all of these terrible things. It was as though it fueled me to be even more distant from you.

"Then, all of that happened at your old school. And I thought I was gonna lose you, and it wouldn't even have anything to do with your heart.

"It was just so much stuff, Blaine, and I don't handle things like that very well… or at all. And I'm not trying to make excuses, I promise, I wouldn't do that. I messed up. I wasn't a good father. I wasn't there for you when I should have been. You were going through things that I couldn't even imagine and I was here, being a baby and being distant and being selfish. I take full responsibility. I'm sorry, Blaine. I'm really, really sorry."

Blaine took a deep breath, stared into his father's eyes for just a moment longer, then looked away.

"What are you thinking?" Nathan asked.

"I feel angry, and sad, but I forgive you. I understand everything that you said, and I know you mean it when you say you're sorry. But, I still feel angry that, while I was lying in a hospital room, thinking I was going to die, you were at some football or baseball game."

Nathan nodded. "I understand. You have every right to be angry. I'm angry at myself too, so we can be angry at me together."

There was a beat of silence, then, "I want us to be close," Blaine said.

"I want that too." Nathan moved around, sitting Indian style on the bed, looking younger than Blaine had ever seen. It almost seemed as if this one talk had added years onto his life instantly. "You know, I have tons of vacation time added up. I could take a couple of weeks off and we could go somewhere, or stay around here and do things together… Kurt could even come along."

"If he'll ever talk to me again," Blaine mumbled before even thinking.

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked, his face serious.

"Well, while I was being so open and honest with everyone, I told him some things that I never, ever wanted him to know."

"What _things_?"

"Basically that he wouldn't care about me if I didn't have his mom's heart."

Nathan sucked in a breath. "Oh… Ouch."

"Yeah."

"Well, it's how you really feel, right?"

Blaine paused, then sighed. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, I worry about it sometimes. I love having Kurt around, but I know that he wouldn't _be_ around at all under different circumstances."

"It's probably a good thing you told him this now, you know? You wouldn't want this to be something that comes up twenty years down the road."

"Yeah, I-"

"_But_," Nathan continued over Blaine, "Isn't everything in life about circumstances? Or, at least, most things? I would never have met your mom if it hadn't been storming so bad that one day and she didn't have to pull into our office parking lot to wait it out. My parents wouldn't have met if my dad hadn't been sent to fire my mom because she was the worst secretary the office had ever seen. Diane's parents never would have met if he hadn't rear-ended her car. My grandparents never would have-"

"Okay, Dad, okay. I get it."

Nathan smiled. "The point is, we all have strange stories to tell. You two's will be a little stranger than most, yes, but I'm sure we could find something even more strange if we tried. It's part of what makes your lives together fun. Looking over at the other person and remembering the first time you ever saw them, and the _circumstances_ which you met, and how glad you were that the _circumstances_ were what they were because you don't want to know what your life would be like without that person now."

"Jeez, Dad, you act like we're gonna get married. We're just friends."

Nathan laughed. "Oh, Blaine, don't even _try_ to pretend you don't love him. I see it every time you look at the kid. Heck, I see it when his name's mentioned."

"I- I do n… You do?" Blaine asked, giving up before he even truly began to fight it.

"I do."

"But, what does it matter if he'll never talk to me again?"

"There's two people in a relationship, Blaine, not one. It takes both of you for it to be over."

Blaine went silent and Nathan bent over and patted his knee. "I'm gonna go help your mom with dinner. Shock her a little bit. You gonna be okay?"

Blaine nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime, Blaine."

Nathan got up and headed to the door, but Blaine stopped him before he left out.

"Dad?"

Nathan turned back to him. "Yeah?"

"I… I love you."

After a sharp intake of breath, and holding back a huge smile for a smaller one, Nathan replied. "I love you, Blaine."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the long wait. Long excuses short: Been moving, didn't have internet for days, trying to catch up on class work, lost a little bit of a will to write after 4x04, got it back, here's the chapter. Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for waiting on me :)<strong>

**Tumblr: notalone88**


	32. Laundry

_"I still hope that it'll all make sense one day."_

Kurt needed time. Time to think. Time to worry. Time to tell himself that he shouldn't worry. Just… time.

He desperately wanted Blaine to know how he felt, but he also wanted Blaine to come to him. He couldn't constantly be reassuring Blaine for the rest of their lives that he honestly cared about, and loved, him. Blaine needed to realize that on his own.

But, Kurt still wasn't sure if he should take the initiative again, as he'd done before with the book, or just wait for Blaine.

The problem was, what if Blaine didn't know? What if he had forgotten what he had said when he was sick? What if he didn't know why Kurt wasn't contacting him? What if he was still sick? What if he needed Kurt to be there for him?

All of these questions kept running through Kurt's mind. Then, there was the other set of questions.

Why didn't Blaine try to contact him? Why wasn't Blaine texting him, asking him why he hadn't been texting or coming over? Wouldn't his parents, especially his mom, let him know if Blaine got sicker? What if Blaine just didn't want to talk to him?

There was too much to think about, and it was wearing on Kurt. He knew he could talk to his dad, or Carole, or anyone about this, but he really felt like he needed to figure it out on his own. However, he was starting to wonder if he _could_ figure it out.

* * *

><p>Blaine needed something to do. Anything, really. Just earlier today he had resorted to doing all of the laundry in the house. Then, he went into the linen closet, took out the clean towels, and washed them too, just because.<p>

He was home alone today. He had wanted to go back to school, but both his mom and dad said no. It was a Friday anyway, so it didn't really matter, but he wanted out.

His dad had started going back into work the day before, and Blaine practically forced his mom to go be with her friends for a while, so now he was alone. Alone meant time to think. Blaine was tired of thinking. He was thinking too much, if he asked himself. And he had been asking himself a lot of things lately.

Like, why wasn't Kurt talking to him? Should he call Kurt first? What if Kurt didn't want to talk? What if Kurt hated him now?

And then he'd have the other questions. What if Kurt was waiting on _him_ to call? Should he make the first move? What if Kurt just thinks he's still sick and doesn't want to be bothered?

_What if…_

_What if…_

_What if…_

All the questions were driving him insane.

He decided he couldn't, and wouldn't, do this anymore. He was going to talk to Kurt.

Blaine folded the last re-cleaned towel and walked downstairs. He grabbed his keys and headed out the front door. He took his phone out of his pocket, and was just about to text his mom that he was leaving, when he realized something. It wasn't even noon yet. Kurt was at school. Driving to his house would be pointless.

Feeling a little stupid and a lot embarrassed, Blaine looked around to make sure no neighbors were outside- not that they'd know what he was doing anyway- and walked back into his house. He went to his closet and took a row of clothes off their hangers, deciding that it couldn't hurt to rewash them while he waited.

* * *

><p>Diane was back home by the time Blaine left to headed to Kurt's house. She was a little reluctant to let him drive, but after he reassured her that he wasn't dizzy at all anymore, and hadn't been all day, she let him go… as long as he promised to text her when he got there, and when he was leaving.<p>

Blaine had ridiculously sweaty hands and very shaky breath by the time he pulled into Kurt's driveway, but there was no way he was turning back now.

He quickly texted his mom, took two deep breaths, and got out of his car. Then, as he wiped the palms of his hands on his pants, he walked up to the door.

He rang the doorbell and waited, practicing -in his head- what he would say to whoever opened the door.

_'Hello, Mrs. Hummel, how are you?' Wait, is it Hummel or Hudson? She had to have told me before. Which one? Crap!_

_'Hello, Mr. Humme- I mean, Burt.' Wait, which should I really call him? This isn't good._

_'Hello, Kurt's-brother-whose-name-I-can't-remember.' No. Just, no._

_'Kurt, hi, I just… I needed to talk to you. May I come in?' Does that sound too formal though? It's prob-_

"Blaine, hi! Come in!" Carole welcomed him, interrupting his thoughts, which were going through his head faster than he thought possible.

"Hello," Blaine replied with a smile, forgoing the name altogether, as he stepped into the house. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good, thank you." Carole closed the door. "How are _you_ doing? Last I heard, you were beginning new medication."

"Oh, yes, a few days were rough, but I'm fine now."

"That's great. I take it you wanna talk to Kurt?"

"If that's okay."

"Of course it is," She said, waving a hand at him, "Go on up."

"Thank you."

Blaine walked up the stairs, going slower than necessary, then down the hall.

Kurt's door was closed. Blaine raised a hand to knock, then hesitated.

"Screw it," He said to himself after about ten seconds of awkwardly standing there. He knocked quickly, before he had a chance to back out, then waited.

He could hear shuffling inside the room, and figured Kurt must have been getting up from his bed, then the door turned and opened.

"Blaine!" Kurt exclaimed, unable to hide his shock.

"Kurt!" Blaine mimicked, giving him a half smile.

Kurt just stood there for a moment, then shook his head and moved back, "Oh, come in."

Blaine entered the room, and Kurt closed the door behind him.

"I came over to talk to you," he started, turning toward Kurt, who was standing by the door. "I just… I couldn't _not_ talk to you anymore, it was driving me insane, and this can't be done by text or phone call."

"I- I'm glad you came. I've been wanting to talk to you too."

"I want you to know that I- I remember what I said to you… _that_ day, and I wanted to apologize."

"No," Kurt said, shaking his head, "You don't need to apologize, Blaine. You never need to apologize for being honest with me."

"But, I hurt you. I don't like hurting you."

"But I needed to know how you felt."

"But you stopped talking to me because of it and I never wanted that."

"I didn't _stop_ talking to you, I just needed time to think everything through. I've spent the last few days questioning everything, especially myself, over and over. I thought I would get somewhere, but I haven't. And I've really been hoping that you would come to me because I was afraid that maybe you still thought our whole friendship was a lie and I wanted to give you the space to choose whether you wanted me around or not."

"Well, I've spent the last few days thinking way too much, and trying to think less, and failing miserably, because half of me was afraid you'd never want to see me again, and the other half was afraid you still thought I was sick and just didn't want to bother me. I spent the entire day today doing laundry, Kurt. _Laundry_. I cleaned _clean_ clothes trying to stop thinking. I almost left my house at eleven-thirty to come here and talk to you before I realized that you wouldn't be here."

Kurt sighed, "We really suck at good communication," He said, his hands on his hips.

"We really, _really_ do," Blaine agreed.

"I just… I know that the way we met is strange, Blaine. I _know_ that. It's insane, and weird, but kinda fantastic. I know it doesn't completely make sense, and it probably never will, but it is what it is."

"I agree-"

"And I can't do _this_ _thing_ anymore," Kurt said, motioning between them, "because I'm not really sure what this is and it confuses me most days. I like you, Blaine. I like you a lot. And as more than just a friend. It actually really sucks to just be your friend because, no matter how much I've told myself I'm fine with it, and it's better than nothing, it's really not. I've just been lying. Because that's not what I want with you. I want more than that."

"Kurt, I-"

"And I'm not going to apologize if you don't feel the same way, because I don't think I have anything to apologize for right now. I'm just being honest with you. If you feel differently, then I'll deal with that. At least, I'll try. But, I just wanted to get that out and into the open cause I'm tired of the beating-around-the-bush thing that I've been doing."

"Kurt!"

"And we really need to work on how we communicate. We need to talk more, get things out in the open, which is why I'm doing this right now. Complete, total honesty. I'm probably making a fool out of myself, and I've never really talked this fast for this long before, but I just needed to get this all out, and-"

_"Kurt!"_

Kurt stopped, just now noticing that Blaine had inched closer during his little speech, and was now right in front of him.

"What?" Kurt said, a little out of breath.

"Can I say something?" Blaine asked.

"Yes."

Blaine reached up with his right hand and placed it on Kurt's jaw. He rubbed his thumb across Kurt's cheek twice, before slowly leaning in and kissing him.

Kurt was still for a moment, then he sucked in a sharp breath, grabbed onto the front of Blaine's shirt, and began to kiss back.

After what they would both later describe as one of the best moment's of their lives, they parted- albeit reluctantly- and just stared into each others eyes.

"You didn't say anything," Kurt informed him after a moment of silence.

"Nope," Blaine replied.

Kurt nodded. "Okay," He said, before leaning back in for another kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>So, is this what you guys were waiting for, or... ;) Hope it didn't disappoint! <strong>

**Not much to say here. There's only one more chapter to go, which makes me extremely sad. I don't think I've ever been so attached to one of my stories. But, it's time.**

**Visit me on Tumblr! I love having someone to talk to. **

**Tubmlr: notalone88**


	33. Gray

_"Whether we have five years or fifty years together, they'll be the best of my life."_

One would think everything would be easy once Kurt and Blaine declared their love for each other and, for a while, it was just that. People viewing them from the outside would think they had a normal, teenage relationship. One that would last through high school, then inevitably and heartbreakingly end once college happened.

Except Kurt and Blaine knew better, and their families did too.

That didn't mean, however, that they never argued. In fact, if you asked them, they would say that they were actually quite good at it.

The first major argument, which they now consider their most ridiculous, they had was one week after they moved into their first apartment together. Blaine was wanting to paint the walls, and Kurt, after having to look at hundreds after hundreds of colors, told him he was being ridiculous. They were renting, and they'd have to repaint them white again before moving back out.

Blaine was determined to liven up the place though, and continued showing Kurt more and more colors. It was late, they were already in bed, and they were both overly tired. Except Kurt was to the point where all he wanted to do was fall asleep, and Blaine was past that and at the point where a third round of energy had entered him and he _couldn't_ fall asleep.

At one point, Kurt threw Blaine's book, _The Color Palette Primer_, across the room where it hit the wall and then fell onto the floor. Blaine informed him, as he got up to retrieve the book, that he needed to "calm down." And it all just fell apart from there.

_"Calm down?" Kurt questioned, his eyes widening. He sat up in their bed, staring Blaine down, as if daring him to return to his side. "You did not seriously just tell me to calm down."_

_"Uh, yes, I did," Blaine replied, standing at the edge of the bed. He set the book down beside Kurt's left foot then crossed his arms, "Because you do."_

_Kurt's eyes moved to the book. "Get. that book. away from me. Now."_

_"What has the book done to you, Kurt? Huh? God, you act so immature sometimes."_

_"Oh, _I_ act immature, Mr. I-gotta-spend-every-waking-moment-shoving-a-freaking-color-book-in-my-boyfriend's-face?"_

_"How is that immature? That's called being excited. Sorry if my excitement bothers you."_

_"It's not your excitement, it's the fact that you. can't. calm. down. Ever!" Kurt replied, gritting his teeth for the last few words, as he shoved the book off of the bed with his foot. It hit Blaine's shin before falling to the ground beside him._

_"Ow! God, Kurt, what's the matter with you?"_

_"You! You are the matter! You and your stupid colors!" Kurt stood up, grabbing his pillow and the top blanket off of the bed. "I want to _sleep_, Blaine. You know what that is, right? It's what normal people do at two o'clock in the morning. Of course you wouldn't know that, being so far from normal."_

_"What's that supposed to mean?" Blaine asked, every word Kurt spoke now offending him._

_"It means that you do weird things. You're weird. Not normal. Weird, weird, weird!"_

_"Says the guy who still whines to his daddy when he has a bad day at work or school!"_

_Kurt glared at Blaine, staying silent for a moment before speaking. "You wanna talk about whining? Okay then. How about all the whining you do when I take you to your doctor's appointments. How immature you act the entire way there. How you complain the whole time. How it didn't start until we moved away and you realized it was because your mommy was always there before."_

_"Kurt, stop!"_

_"You started it!"_

_They both just glared at each other for a minute, chests heaving with angry breaths._

_"I'm sleeping on the couch," Kurt finally said, breaking the silence._

_"Sleep wherever you want. I don't care."_

_"Fine! Maybe I'll just go sleep with the old man in the alley that always tells me how sexy I am!" Kurt yelled as he left the bedroom and walked down the hall._

_"Great! I hope you two will be very happy together!" Then, to add effect, Blaine walked over to the bedroom door and slammed it shut._

Of course, when the next morning came around, and Blaine walked out to see Kurt half hanging off of the couch and looking both completely uncomfortable and indescribably hot at the same time, he decided to wake him up so they could talk. And they did talk, and they both realized how stupid they acted, and they both apologized and make a vow to never go to bed angry again.

* * *

><p>And then there was the times when they had to have serious conversations about their future. One's that, if they would have gotten together later in life, they would have talked about very early on. But, that wasn't how their lives together worked. So, when they were twenty-six, Blaine decided to bring up something that had been on his mind for a while.<p>

_"Kids," He said out of nowhere as they were halfway through dinner._

_Kurt paused, spaghetti right about to enter his mouth. "What?"_

_"Kids. We need to talk about kids."_

_Kurt slowly sat his fork down and looked right at Blaine, giving him full attention. "Okay. What about them?"_

_"I'm not… I can't… I don't…" Blaine sighed, then let everything out in one breath. "I don't want them. They're fine from a distance, and I don't hate them or anything, I just don't want them."_

_Kurt paused for a moment before replying. "So… Why are we talking about this again? Did I bring up something about children in my sleep? Do I sleep talk, Blaine?" He asked, looking slightly petrified._

_"No. No, Kurt," Blaine replied, waving a dismissive hand at him. Kurt sighed in relief as Blaine continued, "It's just something you've never brought up, and I've never brought up, but I was afraid that you just didn't bring it up because you were waiting on me to bring it up."_

_"That was a really long sentence."_

_Blaine groaned._ "Kurt."

_"Okay, okay, sorry. Getting serious now." Kurt placed his hands on the table, motioning his fingers for Blaine to hold his hands. Once their hands were together, Kurt squeezed them and continued. "I've never brought up kids because I've honestly never thought about having kids with you. I like this, me and you. Some people might call that selfish, but I don't. I think it would be more selfish to have or adopt a child that we didn't fully want."_

_"So, if you wanted a child…"_

_"I would have told you so," Kurt finished._

_"I love how I'm constantly reminded of how perfect you are for me," Blaine said with a smile._

_Kurt leaned forward and cupped Blaine's cheek, then leaned in and kissed him sweetly. After a moment, Kurt pulled back and smiled slyly, "I'm glad you are too," He said before darting up and turning to go into the kitchen. Blaine smacked him on the butt before he could get far enough away, then smiled brightly as Kurt cackled while he got himself a drink._

* * *

><p>Then, there were the moments that terrified them both. Like, when Blaine and Kurt were thirty-two, and Blaine had to be put back onto a donor list.<p>

The doctor had used big, obnoxious words and descriptions that wouldn't make sense to any normal human, but when Kurt yelled at him mid-sentence to speak like he was from this planet, the doctor sighed and started over. The dumbed down version was that the heart Blaine had now was old. _Really_ old. And it had been through a lot. It was tiring, and not working the way it should be.

Blaine already knew this though. That's why the appointment was made in the first place. He could tell that things weren't right. By the time he was nine he knew his body better than most people did their entire lives. But, he was still hoping that it wouldn't resort to him needing a new heart.

The doctor reassured him that the procedure had changed a lot since he was a little boy. Recovery time was shorter, and the success rate was higher. He informed Blaine that they could put in a pacemaker instead, but he recommended the transplant.

Six months later, they were at the hospital.

_"How was he?" Nathan asked as he saw Kurt walk into the room._

_Kurt looked up, eyes red rimmed, and let out a deep breath. "They just took him back," He replied. "He was good, though. Optimistic." He glanced around the waiting room. Nathan and Diane were sitting in two chairs in the corner, Carole was beside Diane, holding her hand, and Burt was beside Carole, holding _her_ hand._

_Just a half hour earlier, they had all been sitting in Blaine's hospital room. It made Kurt uneasy, them all being there. He knew it was just for support, but it still made him feel like he should be telling Blaine goodbye… but no, he'd never tell Blaine goodbye._

_About ten minutes before they took Blaine away, he asked to speak to Kurt alone. He didn't tell him not to worry, because Kurt had informed him earlier that it was a pointless thing to say, but he did tell him that he loved him with all of his heart -then proceeded to make a "and I'll love you with the new one I get too" joke that Kurt didn't find all that funny. He laughed anyway though, because Blaine was trying to lighten the mood and make everything okay. But it just wasn't okay._

_Then, Blaine got serious._

_"Kurt, I… I want you to do something for me. For both of us."_

_"Wh- What?" Kurt asked nervously._

_"I want you to lay your head on my chest. Just like you did when we were teenagers. I want you to hear her heart one last time."_

_And this is how Kurt got the red rimmed eyes. He began to tear up immediately. "But, Blaine, I told you a long time ago-"_

_"I know what you told me. You told me that this heart was mine now, not hers. It has a different rhythm. One you love, but it's not hers. I know what you said. But, it was once hers, and it's the last time you'll ever hear it beat. So, please. For us both."_

_Kurt climbed into the bed beside Blaine, not even caring that he was breaking so many hospital rules right now, and laid beside him. With silent tears steadily streaming down his face, he rested his head on Blaine's chest. They no longer worried about where hands should go, or how hard they should hold onto one another. It was comfort, being in each others arms._

_Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine tightly, and Blaine did the same to Kurt. They both closed their eyes, and just listened and felt. Kurt to the thump… thump… thump… of Blaine's heart- a rhythm that was much weaker than it used to be- and Blaine to the grip Kurt had on him, steadying him and keeping him calm when he felt absolutely terrified._

_Eventually, they did have to part, and after a very watery kiss and a "I'll see you soon," they rolled Blaine away._

_Which led to now. Kurt, standing in the middle of the waiting room, having no idea what he was supposed to do._

_"Kurt," Burt began, pulling Kurt from his thoughts. "You wanna sit down?"_

_Kurt took an unsteady breath. "No. No, I think… I think I need to walk or… something." He left the room quickly, hoping he was going in the right direction of the elevator. He couldn't think straight anymore._

_"Kurt," A familiar voice called behind him. He turned to see his dad walking up to him, his face filled with concern. "Kurt, where are you going?" He asked when he reached his son._

_"I… I just need the elevator," Kurt replied, a tear rolling down his cheek. He didn't even notice that he was still crying._

_"You're going in the opposite direction of it."_

_"O- Oh." He laughed at himself. "I must have just… taken a wrong turn or something." He started to go past his dad, but Burt stopped him before he could even take a full step._

_"Kurt, you're not okay. Stop pretending you are."_

_"Wh- What do you mean? Of course I'm okay," He replied as another tear escaped his eye._

_A pointed look, and a simple "Kurt" and Kurt broke down._

_He fell into Burt's arms, sobbing, his shoulders shaking. "Wh… What if something happens, Dad? Wh… What do I do? I f- feel so h- helpless."_

_"You have done so much for him, Kid," Burt replied, holding onto his son and rubbing his back gently, "More than most people your age would do."_

_"I h- haven't done any… anything."_

_"Kurt, you have spent the last six months taking care of him practically around the clock. You've had to rush him to the hospital multiple times, you practically learned doctor-language."_

_"You n- need to know w-what they're saying all the… all the time. S- Sometimes they tell you stuff d- differently when they think y- you don't know what they said."_

_"See. Like that." Burt pulled Kurt back a little so he could look at him. "Kurt, you have gone above and beyond. I bet, from all the research you've done, you could do the surgery yourself."_

_"That's what the d-doctor said," Kurt replied, calming down a little._

_Burt brushed the tears off of Kurt's face with his thumbs, "See, even _he_ knows you've done all you can do. The rest isn't up to you, Kurt. I know you wish it was, but it's not."_

_"It's just not fair though, Dad. Eleven months ago we were having a wedding, and… and now this?"_

_"I know. It sucks. But you've got the best surgeons in there, and if everything goes right, you and Blaine can have at least thirty years together. I know that, at this moment, it seems bad. But don't you think that thirty plus years makes it worth it?"_

_Kurt took a deep breath. "Y- yeah. Yeah, it's worth it."_

_"Okay then. Let's go sit and wait for you to get your husband back."_

_And he did come back. He healed much faster than when he was nine. He was removed from the ventilator in two days, and released from the hospital within a week, then spent two months under Kurt's overly-cautious care._

_Within six months Blaine was back to his old self. Besides the regular visits to the doctor for checkups, the surgery was just something of the past._

_"I wonder who the family is of the heart you got," Kurt wondered aloud one night, while they were snuggled close on the couch, watching a movie. The donor was anonymous this time, and neither Blaine nor Kurt knew anything about them or their family._

_Blaine squeezed Kurt closer to him. "I don't know. But, I imagine their son will come looking for me one day, we'll become best friends, then fall in love, and spend the rest of our lives together."_

_"Ha, ha, very funny," Kurt said with a smile as he pinched Blaine's side._

* * *

><p>Then there were moments, like now, that neither of them could really explain. It was just… happiness. But more than that at the same time.<p>

"Kurt! Kurt!" Blaine yelled loudly from the bathroom.

"What?" Kurt exclaimed, dropping the dishes he was cleaning back into the sink and rushing out of the kitchen.

"Come here, Kurt! Hurry!"

"What's wrong? Are you o-" He stopped suddenly when he reached the bathroom door and saw Blaine awkwardly draped over the sink, as close to the mirror as possible. "What are you doing, Blaine? And why are you smiling? I thought something bad had ha-"

"Look!" Blaine interrupted, turning to him with wide eyes. He had both hands in his hair, flattening it down and, honestly, he looked kind of insane.

"Blaine, _honey_, what am I supposed to be looking at?" Kurt asked, speaking a little slowly as he was terribly confused.

"My hair!"

Kurt nodded. "I sort of got that part, but I don't know _why_ I'm supposed to be looking at your hair."

"You don't see it?" Blaine asked, his eyebrows furrowing. He turned back to the mirror and looked again, his happy face returning. "It's so obvious though!" After looking in the mirror a moment longer, he looked back at Kurt, moving closer. "It's right… here." He said, pointing at a specific spot on his head.

Kurt sighed, "Blaine, I have no idea what you want me to-" He froze, finally seeing what Blaine had been trying to show him. "Oh my god! Oh my god, Blaine! You have a gray hair! Oh my god!"

"I know!" Blaine exclaimed, excitedly. He reached out and pulled Kurt close, hugging him as tightly as he could.

They both had ridiculous smiles on their faces, and were giggling like children who had just gotten away with eating ice cream before dinner.

True, they were only thirty-five, so gray hairs _shouldn't_ be a happy moment. Also, it was in Blaine's genes to gray early, his dad had been completely gray by forty-five, so he _shouldn't_ be surprised. But, if any two people were going to go against the grain, it was them.

Kurt knew early on that it was Blaine's biggest- and pretty much _only_- wish to have gray hair. "If I can just live long enough to go gray, and be a proper 'old man' I can die happy," He'd say.

They had gotten scared three years earlier that it would never happen. But now… now it _was_ happening. And they just couldn't contain their excitement.

Kurt gasped. "Blaine, we have to celebrate!" He declared, pulling back enough to look at his husband. "Wherever you wanna go, we're going. And we're getting cake. And balloons."

And this is the moment where most people would say,_ 'It's just a gray hair.'_

But no, not Blaine. "Oh, can we have cupcakes?"

"Duh."

"But I want regular cake too."

"How about this," Kurt said, turning around to head out of the bathroom, but keeping one hand locked in Blaine's. "We'll go out to dinner, then get dessert wherever we are. _Then_, we'll go to Mary's Cupcake Shack and get one of those each- and of course extra for home-"

"Of course," Blaine interjected.

"_Then_, we'll go to George's Pie Parlor and get some pie. _Then_, we'll go get balloons somewhere far away from where we live and walk all the way home with them so everyone around us can see and wonder what they're for."

Kurt turned to get his jacket off of the coat rack by the door, but Blaine pulled him back to him and kissed him hard. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Kurt returned with a smile. "Now, let's go eat more than our body weight."

"Yes!"

So that night, while the rest of the world wished they could stay young forever, Kurt and Blaine celebrated growing old.

_"My dad often told me that, 'Sometimes you gotta look hard, but you'll always find a light at the end of the tunnel. It just might take a while to find it.' Well, he was right. I found it. It was you."_

* * *

><p><strong>The End!<strong>

**I thought it was appropriate to end with a flashback line, since that's how I started each chapter :) Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this story. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, and for putting up with me and my crazy schedules.**

**Someone mentioned that I should do oneshots based off of this fic. It didn't sound like a bad idea to me, but I wanna know what you guys think. Would you want to read oneshots that went with this story? It's not something I've ever done before, but I hate saying goodbye to IaH. It's my baby.**

**Anyway, thank you all again. Remember, I'm notalone88 on Tumblr.**

**God Bless!**


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